Here in Your Arms
by Temari101
Summary: Kai's heart has been broken. And Ray, the person he's liked for so long, doesn't even know he did it. Kai's broken and weak, and Tala doesn't like it. He wants to help him, but Kai doesn't want to bring him into his problems. Kai/Ray
1. Broken

**Hey guys! So after a few people asking, suggesting, and bugging me about it. I've decided to make a sequel to my Oneshot Love is Dead. I was planning on doing a story for this song that I'm using anyways, but now I can have my Oneshot as a sort of opener for it. I hope you all enjoy it, and if you haven't read Love is Dead I suggest you do so you know what's going on. It's a sort Oneshot, it won't take up much time and then you can come back here and read the sequel.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy my story and I'd love hearing from you. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblades or the song(s) I got my idea for it from.**

**Song: Here in Your Arms**

**Artist: Hellogoodbye**

* * *

Finally, after lying in bed for what seemed like days with his head forced into a pillow and his hand in a tight fist around a small letter, Kai pushed himself up not being able to bring himself to a sitting position. His eyes felt irritated, and he couldn't breathe out of his nose. He couldn't believe the letter he'd gotten in the mail only hours before had hurt him this bad, and he wondered if Ray knew when he sent it that it would affect him like this, probably not. It was one simple letter, one paragraph, eight sentences long, and three innocent parting words. It wasn't like Kai had gotten a letter saying the boy he cared about so much had died or had run away and no one could find him. And it wasn't like Kai couldn't see him again. It wouldn't be too hard to buy a plane ticket and fly to China to see him, he had the money and he could go through the BBA. But there was still just something about the letter that had crushed Kai's heart in a million tinny pieces, and he couldn't figure out what that was. Maybe it was the tone of the letter. It sounded so casual and innocent, like Ray had no idea that what he was writing was so bad. Or maybe it was because he'd compared his friends to Kai's, so Kai instantly knew how he felt. Whatever it was Kai didn't really want to think about it. This letter had brought him to his weakest point ever, and he didn't want to go back.

Kai's arms shook as he held himself up over the bed with his head hanging. He let out a sigh as he couldn't hold himself up any longer. He felt too weak. He lay there for a few more minutes, face in the still wet and cold pillow from his tears, before forcing himself to roll over and sit on the edge of his bed. Kai held his head as he sat there. He had a huge headache on top of irritated eyes, a stuffed up nose, and a broken heart. He was angry at himself for falling this far.

His friends hadn't been back in his room either. They'd left him like he'd told them too, and now Kai felt like he'd wanted at least Tala to be brave enough to stay with him. It wasn't like he could do anything to him if he did stay to comfort him. Kai was at his lowest and wouldn't have been able to do anything about it except send empty threats to the red haired boy. But that seemed to always be enough to send someone away. Kai was always giving people empty threats so they'd back down, and so far no one had questioned him. He sometimes wished he didn't have this power to make people instantly fear or hate him without question. Maybe if people were brave enough to challenge him without being hateful he'd let them learn more about him. The only person that had managed to get close enough to Kai without acting like he hated him, even once, was Tala. But even Tala wasn't willing to force himself to say and try and comfort Kai.

And maybe that was the reason for this whole mess Kai now felt he was in. Maybe if he'd been a little more open to people, especially Ray who'd been almost as nice to him as Tala was, they wouldn't feel the need to leave him all the time. Either way Kai looked at his situation, it was his fault. He could have been more open to Ray, a better friend, nicer. He even could have been a harder caption and refused to let his team go home to their friends and families, but he knew that idea wasn't the best. They'd been gone from everyone so long after all.

Kai stood up from his bed and steadied himself on his wobbly legs while clutching his head. He walked carefully over to his bedrooms connected bathroom, and closed the door facing the mirror. Kai steadied himself with one hand on the sink, the other still on his head, as he saw just how bad he looked. His eyes were very red and puffy, and his nose was running. Along with that, he had tear streaks down his face from tears that hadn't escaped his eyes before he sat up. Kai glared at his reflection and turned away from it heading for the shower. He turned the taps on to a high heat and undressed as he waited for the water to warm. He needed this hot shower to think and feel better.

The shower suddenly got slightly colder and Kai growled at the fact he'd just used up the last of the hot water. He'd been in the shower for over an hour, and he still wasn't feeling much better. But he supposed it was for the best that he got out. His hands were starting to look like raisins, and the other boys wouldn't be too happy once they found out he used up all their water. If they were even awake. Kai didn't know what time it was. He hadn't bothered to look at his clock before entering his bathroom, but he was sure it was early morning now since he'd broken down later in the night.

He got out of the shower and dried himself off. He didn't bother to wrap a towel around himself before he went back into his room because it was attached. Kai spent a few minutes looking through his clothes before just throwing on a pair of sweatpants and sweater. He didn't feel much like going out today anyways. When he was finished dressing he grabbed the letter that was still sitting on his bed where he'd been laying, and tore it in half. Then he continued to rip the paper into little pieces, making himself feel slightly better with each tare. Kai didn't know why, but somehow violence to the paper seemed to sooth him.

When he was done Kai took all the little pieces and threw them into his garbage can that was by his small beyblade work station. He let out a soft sigh as the peaces fell like light snow into the garbage, and then turned towards his bedroom door. He'd been in his room much too long, and he was sure his friends were worried about him. Not that they were likely to be up yet at four in the morning during vacation. But Kai was feeling a little hungry, and he was sure if he at least left a small mess for them they'd feel better when they woke up knowing he'd been out of his room.

Kai made his way slowly down to the kitchen where he hoped to find some leftovers in the fridge so he didn't have to put much effort into making anything. As he got closer, though, the sound of someone talking quickly and quietly became more apparent. Kai hesitated at the door. He didn't know if he wanted to go in the kitchen with someone else in it. But in the end hunger made the decision for him. At least if it was Tala he'd have someone to talk to, and if it wasn't the person probably wouldn't bug while he was in a bad mood anyways.

When the kitchen door opened it revealed the one person Kai felt like he wanted to talk to the most at the moment, Tala. Kai entered the kitchen and closed the door behind him unnoticed by the red haired boy pacing the room and talking to himself quickly and quietly in Russian. Kai didn't pay much attention to what Tala was saying. He just made his way quietly to the fridge and opened it making the other boy in the room jump at the sudden light in the otherwise extremely dark kitchen.

Kai closed the fridge door after picking out a plastic container of something he hadn't really guessed or looked to see what was in it. But he decided that anything was better than nothing right now. He put the container in the microwave to warm it up, feeling eyes watching him as he did, before he turned to Tala with his arms crossed staring back at him. "What the hell happened to you Kai?" Tala asked mouth slightly open. Kai raised an eyebrow at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked as Tala went and finally turned on a light.

"You never wear anything like that, and when you do wear your sweatpants it's because you're going to work out. You're not thinking of going to work out, are you?" Tala asked Kai as he walked over to him staying a few feet away. Kai shook his head.

"I wasn't going to go anywhere today," he told his best friend.

"So you're just cold than?" Tala asked him. Kai didn't answer. "Well the only other explanation is that letter put you in a really bad mood," Tala said crossing his arms and pouting slightly. Kai felt his eyes get a little watery, and his vision began to blur. He turned away from Tala taking deep breathes to calm himself before the microwave went off. He took his food out, which turned out to be chicken, grabbed a fork and knife, and headed out the kitchen door Tala following him.

The two boys entered the living room where Kai took a seat on the couch and brought his feet up. On any other day he would have been polite enough to eat in the dining room at the table, but he didn't feel up to doing much of the things he normal did. Tala took a seat beside Kai on the couch looking down at his hands that he was fidgeting with. He was obviously struggling with trying to figure out something to say to Kai, and Kai truthfully didn't know what to say either after kicking him out of his room when he was only trying to help.

They continued to sit there in silence while Kai ate. When he was done he put his dish on the small coffee table in front of the couch, and leaned back with a sigh. Tala looked up from his hands, which were still in his lap, and took a quiet deep breath. He didn't like the awkward silence they were now in, so he was going to have to force himself to break it. "Hey, Kai," Tala started. Kai glanced over at him and Tala looked back at his hands. "Um, you know you can talk to me about it if you want, I'm here for you..." he told him trailing off. Tala didn't really want to bring up the letter he'd seen Kai reading, since he didn't really seem eager to talk about it. But Tala needed to let him know that he didn't have to deal with whatever was in the letter by himself.

Kai sat looking at Tala. He didn't really know what to say back to his friend. What he really wanted to do, on the inside, was bring everything stirring around in his head out into the open. He wanted to tell Tala everything. He wanted Tala to comfort him like he was trying to do when he first noticed something was wrong. But Kai wasn't like that. He couldn't just force all his hurt onto another person. He didn't like when people worried about him, and he hated the fact that he wasn't able to hide his weakness from Tala or the others. He hated that he'd decided to open the letter right away just because it had Ray's name on it instead of waiting to open it in his room. He felt like a weak idiot, and he didn't like it.

Tala looked back at Kai after a few moments of silence. "Kai?" he asked with a concerned tone and look on his face. Kai looked away from him with a slight scowl on his face as he noticed his eyes were getting misty again. He hated this. He couldn't believe what a few simple words had done to him. A few simple words that didn't really mean anything at all to the person who'd wrote them. "Kai, are you ok?" Tala asked sounding slightly panicked. This was the first time that Kai knew of, that Tala had seen him crying. Even if it was just a few tears that wouldn't stay back, and rolled down his face. Kai was always acting tough around other people. He always acted like he didn't care about anyone or anything. He did it to hide his hurt, so for Tala to see him as weak as he was a shock.

Kai felt movement from beside him on the couch and he looked over. Tala had moved in closer to him. He was now sitting on Kai's feet warming them slightly. He brought a hand up to Kai's face reaching for his tears as if they were something new to him. Kai brushed Tala's hand away before he'd reached his face and wiped his tears himself with the sleeve of his sweater sniffing. Tala frowned slightly and rested his head on Kai's shoulder. "You'll be ok, won't you Kai?" Tala asked closing his eyes to hold back a few tears himself. He hated to see his friend hurting like this, especially when he always acted so strong. But that was it. It was just an act and Tala always knew that. That's why he always tried his best to be a good friend to Kai. He always tried to do things to make Kai's life a little easier. And he always knew that Kai wouldn't be able to keep his act up forever, and his walls would come down eventually. So Tala had promised himself and Kai, without really telling him, that he'd be there for him when they did come down. He promised silently that when Kai finally couldn't take it anymore he'd try to make everything better. That's why he wasn't going to leave Kai alone like this no matter how much he tried to act tough now and push him away, because Tala knew Kai couldn't handle things on his own. He never could. No one could ever handle everything on their own.

Kai took a deep breath and let out a quiet sigh before wrapping his arms around his red hair friend. "Yeah, I'll be fine," Kai told him his voice cracking a little. Tala shook his head slowly.

"You're lying," he mumbled. His eyes were getting heavy from the lack of sleep he had from being up worrying about Kai.

"No," Kai told him yawning. He was tiered too from staying up crying.

"Yeah you are," Tala said forcing out a little chuckle as he drifted to sleep in Kai's comfortable arms.

"Hn," was Kai's reply as a tear escaped his eye again.


	2. Anger Management

"What the hell is this?" yelled a very loud and angry voice that caused both Tala and Kai to wake with a start. They looked up drowsily at the boy who made the noise.

"What the hell is what?" Tala mumbled rubbing his sleepy eyes. He and Kai were still on the couch together. Tala was laying on Kai his head resting on his shoulder, while Kai had an arm wrapped around Tala his hand hiding under the boy's shirt a little bit, which was completely by accident, and his other hand hanging off the armrest.

"This," Bryan said gesturing angrily at the two boys.

"I'd say this is comfy," Tala told him. "What do you think it is?"

"I think it's probably something more than just comfort," Bryan said through clenched teeth. Tala laughed at him.

"Well don't we sound a little, angry? No..." Tala said thinking to himself for a second, and then grinned. "Jealous?" he asked. "Are you jealous you're not getting any of this, Bryan?" Bryan let a low growl escape. "Relax, nothing happened," Tala told him with a sigh rolling his eyes. "You can remove your hand from my stomach now by the way, Kai."

Kai, who had actually been in a slight state of shock at what he'd woken up to, and had decided to just let Tala do all the talking, moved his hand away quickly allowing his friend to stand up and stretch. Bryan glared slightly at Kai before ignoring his presence and looking back at Tala with the same glare. "Where you down here with _him_ the whole night?" he asked in a growl.

"No, more like the whole morning," Tala told Bryan as he finished his stretch with a yawn. "Why, what time is it? Where are the other two?"

"It's noon, and they went out for lunch after pointing you and Kai out to me," Bryan told him crossing his arms.

"What, its lunch time!" Tala yelled and turned to Kai. "You want to go out and get something to eat with me?"

"Hn," was Kai's answer as he let out a yawn and stretched fully out on the couch resting his hands behind his head like a pillow.

"Why do you want to go get lunch with him, why not me?" Bryan asked his jealousy visibly growing.

"Because, none of your business," Tala told him putting his hands on his hips and matching Bryan's intense glare.

Bryan gave up quickly after that turning and walking away mumbling something about not feeling like fighting with his captain. Tala turned back to Kai grinning in triumph and sitting down on the edge of the couch beside Kai's legs. Kai raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, and although he wouldn't show it he was quite happy that Tala had chased Bryan off. "So do you?" Tala asked him.

"Do I what?" Kai asked him, and his grin faded.

"Want to go out to lunch with me!" Tala whined making it sound more like he was pleading than answering his question.

"I told you I don't want to go out anywhere today," he told him glancing out the window. It was a nice, bright day. There were no colds out in the sky, and the trees showed only a light breeze. Kai guessed it was just one of those days where it looked nice but was actually freezing. They got lots of those.

Kai looked back at Tala and saw he was now sitting with his arms crossed pouting. Kai gave him a questioning look and he let out a sigh. "Are you sure?" Tala asked him. Kai nodded and Tala stood up. "I'll be back later than," he told him as he turned and left the room. A few seconds later, Kai could hear him yelling for Bryan, and minutes after that Kai watched as they passed by the living room, fully dressed for the snowy weather, and left out the front door.

The door shut with a slam that echoed throughout the now empty house. Kai let out a sigh and sat up. His empty dish was still on the small coffee table and he felt slightly colder now that the air from outside had entered from the front door. He took a few seconds before standing up, grabbing his dish, and heading for the kitchen. Kai put his dish in the empty dishwasher, and started to look around in all the cupboards, and the fridge.

The kitchen was compliantly empty of food Kai would eat. There were a few things in the fridge that he'd considered eating, but that was before he opened their containers and found that they were way over due. Now he knew why everyone was going out to eat. And he found himself glad that he'd at least found the little piece of chicken last night to have. The cupboards were almost completely empty too besides a few bags of open and stale chips, and some things he didn't want to eat. He sighed as his stomach growled.

The doorbell rang and Kai glanced in the direction of the front door. He didn't really feel like answering it, and waited hoping he wouldn't have to. But when it rang again he let out a growl and walked quickly over to the door. He grabbed the handle and swung it open letting a cold burst of the outside air hit him like a brick wall. But it didn't do much to him besides send a small shiver through his body. He was use to the cold.

The mad standing in the door looked like the man who Kai had met out at the front of the house the night before. He wore the usual mailman clothing, and had a truck parked in front of the house that showed he was deliveryman of mail and packages from overseas. Kai looked up at him with a stern, annoyed look on his face. The man gave him one look and pulled a small package out of his bag. "Here, BBA already signed and paid the shipping bill," the man told him as he turned and left Kai standing there holding the small, brown package with an American post stamp on it.

Kai closed the door loudly behind him as he looked over the package. It had his name neatly printed on it, but he had no idea what it was. He wasn't expecting anything. He brought it up to his room before opening it. After what happened last night he no longer felt safe opening his mail out in the open, not that he thought anything from America could affect him as much as the little letter from China did. Kai sat cross legged on his bed and began to open the box. Inside on top of bunch of packing peanuts was a note. Kai opened it and read.

_Hey Kai,_

_Max here! Although you might have already guessed that, I don't know how many friends you have here in America, Ha-ha. ANYWAYS! My mom developed these cool new launchers! Well actually, they're not really new. They're old ones they were testing. They made a few before making a new breakthrough and scrapping all the ones like the one I just sent you. Don't get me wrong though, they work perfectly fine! Better than fine! Way better than any of our old launchers! My mom said I could have one and gave me some for you, Tyson, and Ray too! Hope you like it!_

_See you soon!  
Max_

Kai gave a little chuckle. Max was exactly the same in his letters as he was in person. Kai read over the letter again stopping on Ray's name for a few seconds before throwing the letter aside and reaching into the box for the launcher Max had been talking about. The launcher was blue in color with a well gripped handle. On the top of the launcher was a red dot scope to help with accuracy. Along with it was a small screen that told you the spin velocity of your blade once it was lunched to help you during practice with making better launches. The ripcord that came with it was slightly longer than Kai's old one, and looked much more durable with an end that was easier to grab and pull back. Kai looked his new launcher over carefully. It was very good, but like Max had so conveniently mentioned in his letter, it wasn't the best. There was obviously something wrong with it, or something more that could be done to it to make it better still. But the only way to figure out what that something was was to test it out. Kai hoped that trying out his new launcher would help clear his head as well.

Getting off his bed Kai grabbed the small brown box his launcher had come in, and the letter, and threw them into his garbage. He then headed down to the basement where Tala and his team had a full workout room set up complete with a beystadium to practice in. Kai entered the completely open floored basement and walked straight to the beystadium past all the workout equipment. When he got to his destination he took out his blade and fitted it onto the new launcher. He held the launcher for a few seconds to get a feel for it before letting his beyblade launch into the stadium.

Kai swore under his breath. He'd messed up his launch not being use to his new ripcord or launcher and his beyblade had gone flying sideways spinning twice before falling. He picked his blade up and stuck it in his pocket. He tried the launcher a few times without his blade first. Then he stuck it back on when he felt like he was getting used to everything. He readied himself and took another go at the launch this time making the same launch he was able to do with his old launcher. Once he made a few more of those he switched to using the red dot scope during his launches, and continued practicing from there.

After a few hours of practice, and starting to get weak from hunger, Kai could hear people making a lot of noise upstairs. There was banging, yelling that he couldn't make out, and the sound of people running around. Finally after a couple minutes of this distracting noise Kai hear Tala's voice shout back to the others that he'd found him. Kai turned to see Tala standing on the basement stairs with his back to him yelling at the others to calm down and find something else to do now before turning and jumping the last few steps down onto the hard cement floor. This, evidently, hadn't been a good idea because as soon as his bare feet hit the floor he let out a yelp of pain. Kai continued to watch his friend and he hopped from foot to foot a few times before choosing to sit down on the steps and raising his feet. His little performance has reminded Kai a little of Tyson, and he let a small expression of disgust cross his face before turn his back to the red hair boy so he wouldn't notice.

A short time after Tala stood up and walked quickly over to Kai who'd resumed practise. "Guess what!" Tala said sounding cheery. Kai didn't answer. "We bought you something to eat!" he told him raising a bag of fast food. Kai looked at it and shook his head. He was hungry, but he wasn't really a fast food person. "What do you mean no? Aren't you starving? Or did you eat something in the fridge? Because I'm pretty sure that wasn't a good idea if you did. The leftover food in this house is probably three weeks old, maybe more," Tala said shoving the bag towards him.

"I don't want it," Kai told him shoving it back. Tala glared at him, and Kai glared back. They just stood there glared neither wanting to back down, before someone started coming down the stairs breaking Tala's concentration.

Tala ran over to the boy who'd just appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "Bryan, Kai won't eat his food!" he yelled in the whining tone he liked to use. It was one of the few ways he got people to do things for him. Bryan grabbed the bag from Tala and walked over to Kai shoving it at him. Kai looked down at the bag and then glared at Bryan shoving it back.

"I don't want it," Kai told him in an ice cold tone. Bryan gripped the bag hard turning his knuckles white as his face turned red with anger.

"You're such an ignorant jerk, Kai," Bryan growled at him his voice getting louder with every word. "Tala went out of his way to make us do something nice for you and you don't even give a fuck!" Kai just shrugged at him unfazed. "We spent good money on this for you, knowing we had nothing to eat in the house, so you wouldn't starve! We were trying to be nice, but you just toss our kindness off like it's nothing! It's a wonder you have any friends! You don't give any consideration to other people and I sometimes wonder why Tala and your Bladebreakers team even put up with you or _try_ to be your friends! You obviously don't give a damn about any of them!" Bryan yelled at him finally snapping from Kai's long standing attitude, and shoving the bag of food back at him. "Just take it! We got it for you! You don't have to eat it but at least be considerate enough to accept it! And before you make some kind of comment on my behaviour, you're thinking of the old me and you know I had an excuse to act like a jerk! I only get this mad anymore when I'm around people like you!" he told him turning to head back to the stairs. "And to think I was actually starting to feel sorry for you for whatever happened to you last night," he mumbled as he left walking past him, and then past Tala.

Kai watched Bryan leave the room before looking down at the bag that was now in his hands. He opened it up and looked inside. There was a medium container of fries, a small burger, and a large pop. Kai sighed and pulled out the pop and started to drink as he sat down on the edge of the Beystadium, placing the bag beside him. Tala had made his way slowly over to Kai and lifted himself up to sit beside him. "I didn't mean for Bryan to yell at you like that. If I knew he was going to I would have kept my mouth shut, or told him to leave," Tala told him in a tone that showed he was feeling very bad for what he caused. Kai didn't answer Tala, he just reached into the bag at ate one to the fries giving a face of slight disgust at the deep-fried potato. Tala reached around Kai grabbing the bag and placing it on the other side of him. "You don't have to force yourself to eat that crap if you don't want to," he told him. "You could have just said you didn't like it. I'll eat it, or I'll get Ian and Spencer to eat it when Bryan's not looking. I can go get you something else." Kai shook his head at the red haired boy and reached back for the bag. Tala slapped his hand away.

Moving his hand back Kai gave Tala a face of slight surprise. "You don't like it, so I'm not going to let you touchier yourself by eating it," Tala told him. Kai sighed and picked his pop back up drinking it. "Now, we have some things we need to talk about," Tala added and Kai gave an expression of dislike to the boy. Tala ignored it. "So first of all, I really am sorry about Bryan. And second you need to talk to me more because I'm getting sick of having to guess your secret, silent, language," he told Kai crossing his arms.

"If you practice you won't have to guess," Kai told him almost dead toned. Tala frowned.

"This brings me to the third thing," he said. "What happened to you last night? You've been even more of a silent jerk than usual after that letter."

"Hn," Kai replied.

"Kai, I don't care if you don't _want_ to talk about it! You _need_ to talk about it!" Tala told him angrily before letting his tone go soft and almost to a whisper. "Please Kai, tell me what happened. Let me help you."


	3. Time Away

Kai and Tala sat in silence. Kai didn't want to tell Tala what was wrong anymore than he had the night before, but he knew Tala wasn't going to quit bugging him until he found out. Kai just didn't know how to tell Tala what was wrong. So he just looked away from Tala at his hands and shook his head standing up. He started to head back for the stairs, but he was stopped by Tala's hand finding its way into his and pulling him back. Kai turned to look at him and tell him to let go, but when he saw Tala's face he couldn't bring himself to do it. He looked concerned and almost heartbroken.

Tala yanked on Kai's hand hard making him stumble forward a little not being ready for it, or quick enough to resist. "Where are you going?" Tala asked the boy that was now standing about an inch away from him and leaning forward slightly.

"No where until you let go of me," Kai mumbled to him standing up and taking a step back. Tala pulled on his hand again, but Kai was ready for it this time and pulled back with more strength making the red haired boy get jerked forward slightly.

"Sit down," Tala said angrily pulling on Kai's hand again with no success. He tried once more leaning backwards into the beystadium and pulling using his entire body weight. But Kai didn't budge. Tala let out a sigh pulling himself back up using Kai's hand, and looked up at him pouting. Kai stared back for a few seconds before letting out an annoyed sigh and sitting back down beside Tala hoping he'd at least let go of his hand. But he didn't. Tala kept holding on to it a little scared that Kai would try to make a break for it if he let him go.

They sat there without talking for a few seconds before Tala broke the silence. "So, how's Tyson?" he asked. Kai looked up at him with a puzzled look.

"Why would I care?" he asked him raising an eyebrow. Tala shrugged.

"What about that computer guy?" he asked.

"Hn," Kia replied.

"Max?" Tala asked hopefully this time.

"Fine," Kai told him, and then looked away. He knew whose name was coming next, and he wasn't looking forward to it.

"Ray?" Tala asked watching Kai closely now. But Kai kept quite. "Kai how's Ray?" Tala asked again.

He knew he'd hit the right subject this time by Kai's lack of response. It was the subject he'd been trying to get Kai to talk about since last night. Tala watched as Kai turned as much as he could, with him still holding his hand, and didn't say anything. Kai knew if he tried to say anything now his voice would crack and Tala would start to freak out on him again. "Is he the one who sent you the letter?" Tala asked, and Kai just shrugged. Tala frowned at him. "How could you not know if he sent it?" he asked him. Kai shrugged again. Tala let out a sigh and slid closer to Kai resting his chin on his shoulder. "Kai?" he asked.

A shiver found its way down Kai's spine which forced him to reply. "Hn?" he asked.

"What's wrong with Ray?" Tala asked him. Kai bit his lip and started to breathe deeply and slowly forcing himself to stay calm.

"Nothing's wrong with him..." Kai said with a little difficulty that he hoped wasn't noticeable.

"Then why's his name putting you in a bad mood? I thought you liked him," Tala said squeezing Kai's hand slightly.

"Because he's- Wait, what?" Kai asked turning his head slightly to look at the boy sitting behind him out of the corner of his eye. Tala laughed grinning at him.

"What, you didn't think I knew?" he asked. Kai opened his mouth to say something, but closed it when he realized he didn't know what to say. "I noticed the way you always look at him, and how you're mood changes to a happier one whenever he's around," Tala told him.

"How could you?" Kai asked him. He always thought he hid it well from everyone. Tala laughed again.

"Because I know you well enough to notice these things," he told him. Kai didn't know how to reply to him, so he just turned his head and looked back down at his hands. "You still haven't answered my question," Tala whispered closer the Kai's ear this time sending another shiver down his spine.

"I think you should back off now," Kai told him his voice cracking slightly this time. But it wasn't because Tala was so close to him, it was because Ray's letter was floating through his mind again.

"Not until you answer my question!" Tala whined rather loudly making Kai flinch away from him. Kai was beginning to get annoyed with his friend. "I know Ray has something to do with that letter you got! Now tell me everything!" Tala continued to whine making Kai move away from him more.

"You don't need to know," Kai told him through clenched teeth as he slid away and faced him. He was more annoyed now than upset.

"Yes I do! I'm your friend and I want to know so I can make you feel better!" Tala told him pouting.

"Well acting like a child isn't going to help," Kai growled as Tala slid back over to him.

"I'm sorry," Tala said with a frown. "You know I get carried away."

"Hn," Kai said crossing his arms and turning so his back was now fully facing Tala having gotten away from his grip on his hand.

Tala let out a long sigh looking around the beystadium as he tried to think of something to start the conversation over with. "So," Tala started and Kai glanced at him slightly. "I'm tired of waiting."

"Hn," Kai said with no intention of giving Tala the information he wanted. Tala frowned and put his chin back on Kai's shoulder. "Get off," Kai demanded, but Tala shook his head and stayed where he was. Kai let out a low growl and began to move away from the red hair boy again when a pair of arms wrapping around his waist stopped him. "Tala!" Kai practically yelled his name, but all Tala did was shake his head.

"You're telling me or you're not leaving," he mumbled.

"Why?" Kai asked angrily.

"We're not going through this again," Tala told him sternly. He was being serious now. Almost as serious as he'd been when he'd been in the Abby, and it was strange for Kai to see him be like this after so long. "Tell me why a letter from Ray would make you so upset when I _know_ you like him," he said. Kai let out an annoyed sigh.

"Because it said he's leaving my team, ok?" Kai said hiding his hurting through his anger towards Tala. "He left the team and his only reasoning behind it was because he didn't want to leave his friends again after the short time he's been with them! He's left them before! What's so different about now? And then he compared his friends to you and the others saying I wouldn't want to leave you guys again! But I would leave you guys if it meant getting to see him! I guess he really doesn't care that much about me or the team!"

Kai got louder after each sentence as he let the weight he'd been carrying fall on Tala's shoulders too. Tala had finally made him snap and he wasn't happy about it. He never wanted to tell him the truth, and now that he had told him and brought everything he was thinking about earlier back up it was hard to keep calm. Tears were trying to force their way back out, and his emotions were going wild. He wanted to strangle Tala for annoying him to the point of breaking, he wanted to go back to his room and cry, and he wanted to send a letter back to Ray telling him exactly what was on his mind. But he knew none of these would do him any good at the moment. Instead he forced himself out of Tala's hold and walked quickly towards the stairs.

Tala watched Kai walked away for a few split seconds because jumping up and running past him. He stopped in front of the stairs and stuck his arms out. "Get out of the way Tala," Kai told him coldly, but Tala shook his head and stood his ground. "Why do you insist on doing this to me?" Kai asked him glaring.

"I'm not doing anything except trying to help you," Tala told him trying to keep his calm. He didn't want to get mad at Kai after Bryan already had, and finding out why he's been in such a bad mood.

"I don't need your pity," Kai told him.

"It's not pity, Kai! It's help, it's friendship, it's-" Tala cut himself off. "I just want you to be happy again," he told him. Kai didn't reply. He didn't know what to say to him. Tala was the only person he knew that actually cared about him. Everyone else either automatically hated him, or got to know him and then talked behind his back. But Tala was never like that. He was always yelling at people for giving him a hard time, or saying sorry for things that weren't even his fault. Tala was the only person he could allow himself to call his friend.

Something tight wrapped around Kai's body and Kai could hear breathing in his ear. Tala had moved from his spot in front of the stairs and pulled Kai into a hug. "I hate you," Kai mumbled in his ear as he hugged Tala back. Tala laughed.

"Of course you do. The only person you don't hate is Ray," he whispered hugging Kai tighter.

"I hate him too," Kai said. Tala laughed again.

Loud, heavy footsteps came running down the stairs behind Tala. Kai looked up when they stopped at the last step to see Bryan and Ian standing there looking at them. "See, I told you Bryan! They've been like that ever since you left!" Ian yelled making Tala jump letting go of Kai and turning around.

"B-Bryan?" he asked surprised.

"What the hell are you doing Tala?" Bryan asked. "Ever since he's gotten here you've done nothing but hang around that jerk, and now I hear from Ian that you've been doing things like this with him? I can't believe you! How many times do I have to tell you that he's bad news before you'll get it through your thick head?"

"Bryan shut up! It's not what you think!" Tala yelled at him.

"Oh it's not, is it?" he asked. "Well what about what I saw this morning, and what I caught you doing just now? He's leading you on, Tala! He's going to end up hurting you!"

"How can you say that when you don't even know what's going on!" Tala yelled back at him.

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea of what's going on," Bryan informed him heading back up the stairs. "And since you refuse to listen to me, don't come crying to me when you get hurt!" And he was gone. Tala turned a glare to Ian.

"You are so not getting any of the fast-food we bought Kai," Tala told him through clenched teeth. Ian just shrugged and grinned evilly turning to Kai.

"You have a call waiting up stairs, Mr. Sourpuss," he told him.

"I'm going to kill you, you little imp! Shut the hell up!" Tala yelled lunging for Ian, but he dodged it and headed up the stairs Tala chasing after him.

Kai went slowly up the stairs. When he got to the top he checked to make sure Bryan wasn't around. He didn't feel like getting yelled at for a second time today. As Kai headed for the phone Tala and Ian ran past him. Tala with the intent to kill across his face, and Ian looking very amused. Kai sighed picking up the phone. "Hello?" he asked wondering who was calling him. He didn't know anyone besides Tala in Russia that would be willing to call.

"Hey, Kai?" came and annoying voice that Kai recognized right away.  
"What, Tyson?"  
"Oh good it is you! Your annoying friends picked up the last three times. I don't know how you can put up with people like that,"  
"The same way I put up with you,"  
"Acting like a complete downer?"  
"Hn,"  
"Well it's true, Mr. Sourpuss!"  
"If you're calling me all the way from Japan just to insult me, I don't think the BBA will be very happy with the money you're making them waste on your phone bill,"  
"Oh lighten up!"  
"Hn,"  
"Fine I won't tell you why I called than,"  
"Ok,"  
"Ah! You're no fun! Fine! I'm calling because there's a tournament coming up here and Mr. D entered our team,"  
"What team?"  
"You know you, me, and Max..."  
"I'd prefer not to battle,"  
"Well than you better find someone to replace Ray. Not that anyone could..." Tyson said trailing off with a sigh.

"I'll do it!" yelled a voice in Kai's ear making him swear loudly into the phone.

"Kai, don't do that! You hurt my ear!" Tyson yelled back. "And why are you swearing at me?!"

"I'm not," Kai told him glaring at Tala. Tala laughed leaning into towards the mouth peace.

"I'll join your team!" he told Tyson excitedly.

"Get the hell away Tala!" Kai yelled at him. Tala grabbed the phone from him and took a step away.

"I'm joining you guys. I'm bored here anyways, my team doesn't want to do anything," Tala told Tyson.

"Uh, alright..." Tyson said not really knowing what to say. He was in a slight state of shock.

"Tala, give me the damn phone back!" Kai yelled at him.

"See you soon Tyson!" Tala said hanging up the phone and handing it back to Kai.

Kai almost slammed the phone down on the counter as he turned to look at Tala. He really didn't want to deal with blading along with everything else. His Russian 'friends' and the letter from Ray had already put him in a bad mood. He didn't want to have to deal with Tyson's constant complaining and idiocy, and Kenny's constant nagging and complaining too. Not to mention having Tala on the team would make for even more fighting, and more people teasing him. But now he had no choice. He had to go to Japan and play in the tournament bad mood or not, and with or without Ray. He really hated his life at the moment and would have lots to think about tonight before heading to Japan.

Kai and Tala said their goodbyes to the other three early the next morning. Or more like other one. Bryan was now ignoring Tala using any means needed. He'd locked himself in his room and only opened his door once to let Ian in to hide with him, which was why Ian wasn't there to say goodbye. He was with Bryan, hiding from Tala scared that he would try to kill him again if he saw him. So that just left Spencer to see them off, although he wasn't much of a talker. He just waited for them to get ready, said bye once, and closed the door behind them.

The two of them reached Japan late that day. The tournament was meant to start the next day, so they were lucky to get the flight they did. They landed in Japan and walked through the airport getting their bags and heading for the doors Tala talking the whole time about how good it was to get away from the cold of Russia, and go someplace new for a change. They reached the exit and walked out into the sun of Japan Tala looking around happily like a kid in a candy store. They stood on the sidewalk waiting for the car that the BBA was supposed to be sending for them. But when it finally pulled up Kai couldn't get it. He couldn't even force himself to move towards it.

Tala looked up from where he had been talking to the driver through the window confirming that he was actually the person picking them up. "Are you coming or not?" Tala asked him as he opened the back door. Kai stood there staring at him for a few seconds before taking a step forward, but that's all he could manage to take towards the car, one step. He didn't want to go back to Tyson, Max, and Kenny. He didn't want to go back to Beyblading. He wanted to go back to Ray. But Ray wasn't there. Not where the car was heading anyways. He was all the way in a different country. He was in a place one of the plains in the airport he'd just left was going. And that was all he could take. Kai turned on his heel and headed back into the airport looking over his shoulder.

"You can go if you want, if not tell the driver to just leave," he told Tala before walking through the doors.

The sign displaying all the flights was big and just off to the side of the doors. Kai stood in front of it looking at all the flight times and their destinations. There were two flights back to Russia he could take that were coming in soon. He could take them and be home just as the tournament started so no one could track him down and bring him back. He didn't see any point in coming all the way to Japan anyways. He was sure Max and Tyson could win the tournament on their own even if it meant they had to make Kenny their third teammate. He had fate that they'd pick up Kenny's slack and win both their battles. They didn't actually need him.

Kai continued to scan the flights landing on two other ones scheduled to go to China. He could get on one of them and go see Ray. He could go over and yell at him for what he did to him. But all that would do was cause awkward problems. Kai was sure now that Ray didn't feel the same way about him. His letter had almost defiantly said that. But Kai could go to China to hide from everyone for a few days, maybe even weeks. He was sure no one would think of looking for him there, and as long as Ray didn't know he was there he could stay in a hotel with Tala, if he chose to come, in peace. It would give him time to think, and Tala would still get to see someplace new while waiting for Bryan to cool down as he got some time away from Ian.

Kai felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned around. "So, where are we headed?" Tala asked grinning. Kai gave a little smile back seeing his friend had chosen him over Beyblading.

"I'm not sure yet," Kai told him looking back at the board of flights. Tala looked up at it too rubbing his chin in thought.

"We're taking the earliest flight we can to China," He announced happily. Kai turned back to him a little wide-eyed.

"Why?" he asked his heart starting to race.

"I told you I was going to help you, didn't I? And China is the best place to do just that," he informed him grabbing his hand and dragging him over to a counter. He asked the lady working there where he could buy plane tickets right away, and she directed them down the hall. And they were off again.

They came to a stop at a booth with a fairly short line. When they got to the front Tala immediately asked the lady for the soonest flights to China, which turned to be the next flight. Apparently not many people were in a hurry to get to there. She gave Kai and Tala questioning looks probably wondering what two teenage boys were doing alone in an airport looking for plane tickets. "And how will you be paying for that?" she asked.

"We'll be using the money the B-," Tala was cut off by Kai.

"We'll be using our own money," Kai told her pulling out a small plastic card. The lady took it and swiped it handing him a number pad to type in his pin. When he was done the lady looked a little surprised that not only did it go through, but he had enough money on the card for both tickets. She handed him the tickets and his card back wishing them both a nice trip.

"Why didn't we use the BBA's money?" Tala asked when they were out of earshot.

"They can track us if we do, and I'd rather be left alone for a while," Kai told him with a shrug.

"Well where the hell did you get that kind of money?" he asked him a little shocked.

"It's my grandfather's money, and since he's in jail I have full rights to it," he told him with a slight smirk as they went to check their bags back in.


	4. Motel

"The plain will be landing shortly! Please put your seats in the upright position and close all trays! I hope you enjoyed your flight, and have a great time in China!" A man's voice said over the plains intercom. Kai let out a sigh putting his seat back up. He'd been sleeping almost the whole flight tired from the lack of sleep he'd gotten lately. He glanced over at the seat beside him where Tala was sitting staring out the window. Kai had allowed him to sit there so he could see the scenery below them. Kai didn't care much about it. He'd seen it before, and, besides that, Tala had practically gotten down on his knees and begged him for the seat saying there was no point in him sitting there if he was just going to sleep. So in the end Kai had given in not wanting the boy to make any more of a scene and embarrass him.

The plane landed a few minutes later and they slowly got off. This made Tala start up his complaining again. He was asking why Kai didn't just buy first with his grandpa's money so they could get better seats and get off quickly. He also kept going on about how he wanted to get off fast and look for a good hotel, and go 'Ray hunting'. Kai was getting annoyed at the fact he kept saying they were going 'Ray hunting'. He'd never actually agreed to go looking for Ray. He just wanted to come to China to relax and hide out for a bit. He was also trying hard not to snap at Tala and just tell him where Ray's village was so he'd shut up, seeing as he already had a rough idea of where it was.

They finally got off the plain and through the airport with their bags exiting out to where the cars came to pick people up. Tala had stayed inside the airport to use their phone to call a cab. Kai leaned against the airport wall with his arms crossed looking up at the sky. It was a dark blue and the moon was just off to the left from where he was standing. There were a few faint stars, but most of them weren't visible with the airports lights on. It was chilly out, and most people going in and out of the airport were wearing heavy coats. This weather didn't bother Kai though. It was much colder in Russia when he and Tala left than it was here in China at the moment, but Kai still had his light jacket and scarf on.

Tala came racing out of the airport doors a few minutes later having gotten them a ride. "Where are we going to be staying anyways?" Tala asked Kai as he came to stand by him and looked up to see what he was staring at.

"I was thinking about a small motel close to the hotel we stayed at during our tournament here," Kai told him with a shrug. Tala looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"A Motel, Kai? Aren't motels where people looking for a good time go for a cheap room so they don't mess up their own place?" he asked jokingly. "You didn't drag me all the way here so you could take me to a crummy place and do things without anyone else finding out, did you?"

"Is it that obvious?" Kai asked seriously looking over at Tala to catch a slight blush before he began to grin.

"Did you just make a joke?" he asked. Kai shrugged and Tala laughed. "I didn't know you had it in you to make a joke like that, and so seriously too! I'd be giggling too much for it to be convincing!" He yelled over his own laughter. "But seriously, we're using your money for a five star hotel, right?"

"Hn," Kai replied as a cab pulled up and he went over to it to ask who it was picking up.

The cab followed Kai's directions to a small two floor, dirty looking building making Tala soon realize that Kai wasn't joking about the place they'd be staying. At first Tala stayed in the cab waiting for Kai to get back in and say he really was joking, but when he started to walk towards the front office building Tala said bye to the driver and got out of the cab racing after him. He followed Kai through the front doors and watched as he bought a room with change he'd taken out of a bank machine at a corner store they'd stopped at on the way over. Kai then got a key from the man behind the counter, who'd been staring at Tala suspiciously ever since Kai told him he wanted a small, one bed, room, and then turned a told Tala to follow him.

To Tala the room Kai had bought was defiantly the definition of small. There were no other doors going in or out of the room, or a window, it had one Double size bed, an old 20 inch TV on a small two drawer dresser at the foot of the bed, a night stand with a lamp on it on one side of the bed and another with a phone on it on the other, and a bathroom with a small sink, toilet, and shower. The room smelt faintly of cigarettes, the carpet looked stained in a spot outside the bathroom, and the wall behind the bed looked very beat up with chipped paint and cracks along it. Tala stood in the middle of the room, which was between the TV and bed, and looked around hugging himself. He was too scared to touch anything, which was hard since the room was so cramped. Everything in the room looked dirty to him, and the smell was making his eyes water slightly. He hadn't even taken off his shoes yet.

He looked over at Kai, who'd just come out from using the bathroom, and gave him a pleading look. "What?" Kai asked throwing his bag on the floor beside the bed and sitting down bringing his feet up. Tala flinched away from him. He couldn't even begin to imagine the people who'd stayed in this room and what they'd probably done in it, and he defiantly couldn't believe that Kai wasn't at all fazed staying here.

"I can't stay here," he told Kai his voice sounding a little panicked. "This room is making me paranoid. If we don't leave I'm going to be standing here all night."

"Tala, they clean the rooms," Kai told him. "I'm sure everything is cleaned thoroughly every day. If they didn't I'm sure they'd be shut down by now." Tala shook his head shaking slightly now. "You're not a germophobic, are you? Because if you are you've sure done a good job hiding it," Kai said crossing his arms.

"If I was afraid of germs I'd be living in a bubble! This room just doesn't feel right to me!" Tala snapped at him hugging himself tighter.

"It's not any worse than the Abby's rooms," Kai informed him in a sour tone from having to bring the Abby up. "If anything it's a little better." Tala bit his lip taking deep breaths.

"Can we at least change to a four star or a three star hotel?" he asked in a slight whine. Kai glared at him.

"Tomorrow, maybe, I already paid enough for us to stay until tomorrow afternoon," he told him. "Now, come lie down and get some sleep, otherwise the nights going to go on forever." Tala shook his head. He really didn't feel right getting into that bed.

Kai let out and angry sigh and slid to the foot of the bed so he was sitting right in front of Tala. "Just don't sleep under the blankets," he told him yanking one of his arms away from his body making the boy's arms fill with Goosebumps.

"Let go of me!" Tala yelled trying to yank his arm back, but it was useless. He hadn't gotten any sleep on either plain trip like Kai had, and was almost exhausted. The only thing that was keeping him from getting on the bed and falling into a deep sleep was the fact that every time he looked at it images of unknown people he didn't want flashed through his head, along with every time he looked over to the bathroom and saw the stain on the floor.

He pouted at Kai as the boy pulled him closer to him and the bed. "I don't want to lie down on that thing!" Tala whined loudly sounding like he was a spoilt little kid.

"Shut up, you're going to give people the wrong idea," Kai growled at him, and Tala went slightly pink.

"No I'm not! You're just thinking perverted!" he yelled jerking his arm back again, but failing to get free. "You're supposed to be thinking about what you're going to say to Ray when we hunt him down!" Kai raised an eyebrow at him. But, "Hn," was all he said before pulling on Tala's arm hard making him fall beside him on the bed. "Why didn't you get a two bed room?" Tala asked sounding like he was going to cry.

"Because I don't need to waste money on things we don't need," Kai told him moving back to the spot he was at before he moved to the foot of the bed, and let go of Tala's arm.

Tala lay still face down on the bed feet hanging over the edge for a few minutes, Kai not bothering to deal with him anymore. Kai had instead just turned the light beside the bed off and laid down on top the blankets. The truth was he didn't really trust the bed or the room either, but one of them had to act strong and Kai guessed it was his turn. He'd spent the last two nights being depressed and crying over Ray, and he felt it was time he got back to his normal self so Tala didn't worry over him anymore. The only thing that was bugging him now was the fact that Tala might actually find Ray while they were here. The only area of China Kai knew well enough to stay at was close to Ray's village and Tala could stumble on it at any moment. And if Tala did end up finding it Kai didn't know what he'd do. Part of him felt like he'd just lock himself in the room with the deadbolt, so Tala's key wouldn't work, and cry, another part of him wanted to find Ray so he could yell at him or anything and everything, and the last part wanted to find him so he could finally tell him how he felt before it was too late again. Out of all three of those there was more of a chance of him seeing Ray, but the yelling part completely over powered the talking about his feelings part.

Kai rolled over onto his side. He was unable to sleep and Tala still seemed to be in a state of shock at the foot of the bed. He was laying there completely motionless besides his breathing, and Kai kicked him lightly. He stirred slightly, and Kai kicked him again making him groan and look up. "What do you want?" he asked a little bitterly.

"I want you to come up here and go to sleep," Kai told him. "And I've decided we're going to move to a four star hotel tomorrow." Tala gave a little smirk.

"I knew you didn't like it here!" he said happily crawling up beside him. "It'll be so cool to get something nice to stay in, something with a big room, TV, maybe a kitchen!" Kai raised an eyebrow at him. He didn't sound at all like he'd been in a complete state of shock a few minutes before.

"What's up with you and these mood swings?" Kai asked in a mumble into his pillow.

"Maybe I'm just a good actor. Ever think of that?" Tala asked grinning.

"Well if you are than how'd you get so good?" he asked. His eyes were starting to get heavy now that Tala was beside him. He was more use to sleeping with someone else while in new places, like hotels, while he traveled than he was sleeping alone. It was always Ray he'd slept beside though, so even with Tala there it was harder than usually to fall asleep because it was easy for him to tell the difference.

"Lots of practice on Bryan," Tala laughed weakly. "It used to be fun fooling around with him until he started to threaten to kill me for making him blush in front of Ian and Spencer, although he said he was turning red with rage, not blushing. And after I was sure I could make him show any emotion I wanted on cue by changing mine I figured I could do it to anyone. He'd lost all his emotions, besides anger, and was slowly recovering after all."

"So then how do I know you weren't lying about caring about me back in Russia? How do I know that you weren't acting so you could figure out what the letter was about because you were just that interested?" Kai asked him his voice turning into even more of a mumble.

"Well I came with you China, didn't I? And I'm your friend, aren't I?" Tala asked him finding his hand and grabbing it.

"Hn," Kai answered and then yawned making Tala yawn too. Tala squeezed his hand a little, and, unlike the last time he'd done it, Kai squeezed back lightly. Tala smiled as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.


	5. Hotel

The smell of cigarette smoke came drifting slowly through the crack in the bottom of the motel room door making Kai stir lightly. In his half awake state he noticed it was hard to move his right arm, and started to move a bit more before letting out a groan and opening his eyes slowly. When they were opened they were slightly misty, and he had to blink a few times to clear them. Now he could see that it hadn't all been a dream the day before, like he'd been hoping it was. He was still in the motel room he'd chosen to stay at for the night with Tala, which brought him to his stiff right arm. Tala way lying on top of it pushed close against his chest and had one hand curled up into a loose fist by his own face. Kai shifted a little more, and felt something cold against the middle of his chest. Tala's hand had found its way under his shirt, probably looking to get warm with the absence of blankets. That's when Kai noticed where his own left hand was. It was placed on Tala's lower mid back, and was held in place by his fingers tips pushed a little ways down the boy's pant hem.

Kai withdrew his fingertips quickly, and placed his hand on Tala's shoulder shaking him lightly. Tala groaned quietly, but didn't make any effort to move away or open his eyes. Kai began to shake him a little harder and one of his eye lids shot open. "Stop it!" he whined loudly closing his eye again and pushing himself closer to Kai. Kai shook him again and he groaned lauder. "Please stop it?" Tala asked still whining.

"No, get the hell up. You put my arm to sleep," Kai told him in an annoyed tone.

"But I'm still tire, and I'm cold," Tala told him opening his eyes to look up at him with a pleading stare. Kai just glared down at him. "Fine," Tala sighed pulling his hand out of Kai's shirt and rolling over, so Kai could sit up and pull his arm out from under him, and then rolled back so he was now beside Kai's legs.

"Are you going back to sleep than?" Kai asked him.

"Only if you're stay sitting there," Tala told him, and then wrapped his arms around Kai's closest knee laughing.

"I don't think so, I'm going to go get something to eat," he told him sliding his legs off the bed, pulling Tala with them. Tala let out a little squeak and let go of Kai's knee quickly as it went over the edge of the bed, and then pushed himself away from the edge. He had no intension of touching this room's dirty floor with anything but the bottom of his shoes.

Tala looked up at Kai from where he was now sitting in the middle of the bed. "I'm coming with you!" he announced as Kai stood up and headed for the door.

"I thought you were tired?" Kai said in a form of a question as he turned to look at him raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not staying in here alone," Tala told him getting off the bed quickly to stand beside him. "Where are we going to eat?"

"I was just going to go to a fast food place nearby," he told him checking the clock. It was almost eight o'clock. Much later than he would normally wake up, but it was probably the lack of sleep he'd gotten in the previous nights that made him sleep so long. He couldn't see what else would have done it.

"You're not treating me to fast food after making me stay here a whole night!" Tala pouted.

"Who said I was treating you?" Kai asked him.

"The huge wad for cash in your grandpa's bank account," he told him. Kai sighed.

"Fine, where do you want to go?" he asked.

"That restaurant you said was really awesome when you first came here," Tala told him smirking.

"Which one was that?" Kai asked trying to play dumb, but he knew exactly which one Tala was talking about.

"Oh, you know, the one where you kept telling me you had that cute waiter guy," he told him. Kai gave him a fake look of confusion as he tired a very light pink. "The one at the hotel you stayed at? Where you spent to whole time watching the waiter, and then acted like you didn't even notice him because the others actually didn't? You know, the waiter with the cute butt, rocking body, hot long hair, sexy eyes, and pretty smile?" Tala went on asking him, Kai turning redder with every description given about the boy who'd served him that night.

"Alright, I get it!" Kai yelled turning away from him. Tala laughed.

"Well you were asking for it!" he told him. "You can't trick me into thinking you don't remember something like that!"

"You know he's not going to be there, right?" Kai asked looking back at him as his face's color went slowly back to normal.

"Who's not going to be there?" Tala asked innocently playing the same game Kai had just played. But all he got was a glare. "Relax! I know _Ray's_ not going to be there. That's not the reason I want to go," he told Kai with another laugh. "I want to go because, although you talked a lot about how much you were in _love_ with your waiter, you also talked a little bit about how good the food was."

"Stop talking about him when you know what happened," Kai growled getting pissed off with how inconsiderate his best friend was being now.

"I'll talk about him all I want because I'm going to find him! Then that letter won't matter anymore!" Tala told him. Kai turned away from him.

"Just shut up and follow me," he said in a mumble leading the way out the door.

Kai lead Tala down the sidewalk towards what had turned into his favourite restaurant. It was a nice morning with the sun just coming up, and only a light breeze. There was hardly anyone out yet because it was still early for a weekend, so there was enough room on the sidewalk for Kai and Tala to walk side-by-side, and they didn't have to wait for many cars before crossing the street. Kai didn't want to waste money on a cab since the restaurant was so close, but he also wanted Tala to stop with his complaining. He kept going on about how it was too early in the morning to go walking, and that he wanted to get there fast because he was really hungry. But Kai just kept telling him to be quiet and that they were almost there.

When they did get to the restaurant it turned out to have been an hour's walk, and Tala was now even more tired and very angry. He and Kai walked through the restaurants front doors as Tala told Kai he better really make everything up to him by paying for whatever he wanted. And that's exactly what Kai ended up doing. He paid for Tala's four course breakfast, which cost him quite a lot, and ended up only having a one course breakfast to save money. Tala didn't like this, though, and kept making Kai try a little bit off every meal he ordered. When they were both done Kai asked for the check, their waiter looking very confused on how they were going to pay, and handed him his card. When the waiter came back with a smile on his face and handed Kai back his card, he and Tala both got up, but with Tala looking a little hesitant. "You go on ahead, I'll meet you back at the room," he told Kai as he waited for him to leave.

"What do you mean you'll meet me back at the room, we're going to go get a new room at a hotel right now," Kai said raising an eyebrow.

"I thought you said you paid until noon today?" Tala asked. "Why don't _you_ go get the room at the hotel, and we'll meet back at the motel later so we use up all the time?"

"What are you planning?" Kai asked a little angrily. He didn't trust Tala in a town so close to Ray's village. He might find out something, and Kai didn't want that.

"I'm not planning anything," Tala told him. "To tell you the truth I don't really feel good right now and I don't want you to have to wait around for me."

"Well of course you don't feel good after eating all that food. You're not Tyson you know," Kai said with a little sigh as he turned to leave again. "I'll see you later."

"Bye," Tala said, a smirk crossing his face.

Kai entered the motel room again a few hours later. He'd gone searching around the town for a good hotel at a low price. He'd ended up finding one way at the other end of town, from where their motel was, with a small room complete with two beds, a small bathroom, and a kitchen area for very cheap. When Kai closed the door to the motel room there was a knock at the door. He let out a sigh and opened to door again. "We're going on a hike through the forest!" Tala announced happily. Kai gave him a confused look.

"I thought you didn't like walking," he said referring to his complaining earlier. "I also thought you were sick."

"What makes you think I don't like walking? I made my team do a lot of walking when we were training. Besides, I feel fine now, and I need to burn off that breakfast we had," Tala told him grabbing at his hand and trying to pull him out the door.

"Good, than you can burn it off on our walk to the other end of town," Kai told him grabbing his bag and throwing it at him. Tala let go of Kai's hand so he could catch it and put it on while Kai put on his own.

"Why do we have to walk there?" Tala asked him. "Can't we take a cab?"

"You just said you wanted to go for a walk to burn off that breakfast, and that's what we're going to do," Kai told him glaring and slamming the door behind him as he left the room.

"I wanted to go for a walk in the forest though!" Tala complained following behind Kai.

"We're not going hiking through the forest, not now, not ever," Kai told him coldly.

"Why?" Tala asked him.

"Never mind," Kai said through clenched teeth as they headed to the front office of the motel to hand in their key.

Kai and Tala spent the rest of the day getting to their new hotel. This was mainly due to the fact that Tala kept complaining and stopping every ten minutes to rests, and because Tala kept getting distracted by different things in the story windows. Kai didn't mind much though. He was just glad that this walk was getting Tala's mind of finding Ray for a few hours. Besides, it was a nice, warm, sunny day and Kai liked the fact that he could stay out in the sun after being in cold Russia for so long, and he didn't have to worry about people recognizing him and coming over to pester him. Everyone seemed to be focused on whatever they were doing at that moment, and didn't bother to take more than one glance at two strangers like him and Tala, who were stopping every few stores because one of them saw something interesting.

They soon came to the end of a block with a store that had little dolls in it and other decorative pieces of art. "Why won't you buy me anything?" Tala whined as he stood a step away from the window, after being yelled at a few stores down for placing his face and hands on the glass, looking at the dolls that freaked Kai.

"Because you don't need any of this junk," Kai told him angrily. "Besides, you have no place to put it."

"I can put it in my bag! Please buy me something! I want a souvenir!" Tala continued to whine louder.

"You're acting like a child," Kai mumbled angrily. Tala looked over at him with a pouting face and crossed arms.

"I am not!" he yelled making even more people look at them than there already were.

"Yes you are," Kai told him glaring. "And if you can't act your age I'm leaving you stranded here."

"You can't leave me stranded here," Tala told him smirking. "I can just call the BBA and they'll pay for me to get home." Kai sighed angrily.

"You're hopeless," he said shaking his head and walking away from his friend to cross the street. Tala watched Kai walk away from him, glancing back at the store window as he did. He kept standing his ground until he realized that Kai really wasn't going to turn around and come back for him, and then went running after him.

"Kai, wait for me! You're so mean!" Tala yelled after him as he stopped at the street corner to wait for some cars to pass before crossing the road, at a run again.

They entered their new hotel room, Kai in the lead, with mixed reactions. Tala went wide-eyed, seeing how nice the room was compared to the motel room, and went running for one of the beds, claiming it for his own by tossing his bag on it, kicking his shoes off, and jumping on it. Kai, on the other hand, just took his shoes off at the door and walked over to the kitchen area, pulling a water bottle out of the mini fridge, before sitting down at the small table and taking a drink. He was completely unfazed by what most hotels called a small room with light cream coloured walls, a fresh smell, two queen sized beds with cream sheets and red pillows, a twenty-two inch flat screen TV, small bathroom, a small couch that doubled for a third bed, and a small patio which caught the morning sun, held two chairs and overlooked the swimming pool two floors below them. Kai had been in rooms much nicer than this during his travels with the Bladebreakers, but at least it was an upgrade from the motel room.

Tala on, the other hand, had only been in a few hotel rooms, none too good, and was just excited that he got a bed to himself before he was excited about everything else. He'd gotten his own room back in Russia, but he'd been sharing a bed with Bryan lately so Kai could have his own room when he came over to visit them. So he was happy to finally get a nice comfortable bed to sleep in by himself, since the past few nights he'd slept on the couch and in a crappy motel room bed. Tala stopped jumping on his bed, falling cross-legged in the middle of it, and looked over at Kai smiling. Kai watched him, over his water bottle as he drank, giving him a curious look. "I really want to go hiking tomorrow," Tala told him in a serious tone.

"Well then go alone," Kai told him placing his half empty water bottle on the table and putting the lid back on it.

"But that's not fun," Tala told him. Kai could tell he was trying to keep himself from whining again and risk being called a child, and not taken seriously. "I want to go with you," he told him.

"Well I don't want to go," Kai said placing his backpack on the table and putting his head on it.

"Why not, and don't say never mind because that's not a reason," Tala told him sternly.

"Because I know what you're trying to do, and I'm not letting you do it," he told him.

"What do you mean?" Tala asked him. "I just want to go on a hike."

"I'm not stupid, Tala, I know you asked the staff at that restaurant where Ray's village was, and you should know by now that I don't want to find him," Kai told him turning his head so it was facing away from Tala now.

"So the forest is in the right direction than?" Tala asked him. "I knew you knew where it was and just weren't telling me!" he sounded accusing now.

"I don't know exactly where it is, but I know the general direction of it," Kai said in a mumble now. Tala let out a sigh.

"Why don't you want to find him, isn't that the whole reason we came here?" he asked starting to sound a little angry.

"No, that's why _you_ came here. _I_ came here to hide from Tyson and the BBA," he told him.

"But aren't you a little curious as to what he was thinking when he wrote that letter? Don't you want to clear things up?" Tala asked him. Kai lifted his head and turned it to glare at his friend.

"And what am I supposed to say when we find him? 'Hey Ray, I love you and that letter really hurt me! What were you thinking when you were writing it? Please come back to the Bladebreakers, it's not the same without getting to watch you secretly all day!' yeah, that will really get him to come back!" Kai yelled and then buried his face in his bag realizing what he'd just said. He wasn't really thinking when he'd said what he did. He just kind of blew up and said the first thing that came to head.

Tala sat on the bed, and blinked a few times before he said anything back. "I don't know about saying that to him, but after hearing you say it I've decided we really have to go find him," Tala told Kai a little quietly. Kai shook his head.

"You weren't supposed to hear me say something like that," Kai mumbled into his bag.

"Well now that you did, you have to go see Ray," Tala told him in almost a pleading way. "You can't just deicide to never see him again after saying you love him out loud."

"The only reason it slipped out was because you're my only real friend, and I trust you not to tell anyone," Kai told him truthfully. There was no real way for him to lie himself out of this one anyways.

"I don't care if you don't want to go find Ray, we have to now! Stop being such a depressed jerk and get some motivation! Now that you've finally told me the truth about how you feel I'm making you go! You need this!" Tala yelled. He was standing up now with his hands clenched into fists.

"Going to see Ray and getting shot down isn't going to help anything," Kai told him his face still buried in his bag as he fought back tears. Tala walked over to him.

"If Ray does anything thing to hurt you without an explanation I'll beat his face in for you!" Tala told him. "Then he'll have gotten beat up by two of your Russian friends."

"I don't want you to hurt him," Kai said bringing his hand up to wipe his eyes, but Tala grabbed it making Kai look up at him.

"You're coming with me tomorrow, you have no say in the matter," he told him. Kai hesitated for a few seconds before just nodding. Then he pulled his hand out of Tala's grip and stood up heading for the door. "Where are you going?" Tala asked him.

"I need some air," he said wiping his eyes and heading out the door. Tala sighed and took a seat in the chair Kai had just been sitting in, resting his head on Kai's bag.


	6. Village Adventure

Kai entered the hotel room again late that night. He'd been out in the streets of China walking around to clear his head. He'd gotten dinner at a cheap fast food place, because he knew Tala would order room serves, and then just went looking for things to do to pass the time. Before long it was getting late, so he walked back to the hotel, still not wanting to waste money on a cab, and because he was dreading getting back to Tala and going on their hike. Now it was close to midnight, and Kai was ready to just crash in his bed. He closed the hotel room door lightly, not wanting to wake Tala, and went over to his bag. He changed out of his old clothes, which he'd been wearing for two days now, stuffed them to the bottom of his bag, and climbed into his bed in just his boxers. But to his surprise, his bed wasn't empty.

Kai jumped, moving to the edge of the bed, and looked down at what had grabbed him when he'd climbed in. Tala was looking up at him with an angry look on his face, and sat up, apparently having the same idea as Kai, to sleep in just boxers. "Where have you been?" Tala asked him rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Why are you in my bed?" Kai asked him.

"Because I wanted to make sure I knew when you came back," Tala told him. "So where were you?"

"I told you I was going for air," he told him moving over a bit so he was no longer on the edge and in danger of falling off the bed.

"And going for air takes twelve hours?" he asked him.

"For me, yes it does," Kai mumbled, and Tala frowned at him.

"I'm sorry for getting mad at you earlier," he told him in a slightly quieter tone. "It should really be your choice if we go or not. I mean, he is your friend after all."

"Ex-friend," Kai growled.

"No, just because he left your team doesn't mean he doesn't want to be you friend," Tala told him angrily glaring. Kai sighed.

"And yes, I actually do want to go," he told him. "It's just, hard to after what he did."

"I know what you mean," Tala said in a mumble. He waited a few seconds, thinking, before he grinned. "But you want to go, so we're going. Kai nodded.

"So are you going to get out of my bed now, or what?" he asked him making himself sound annoyed.

"And miss sleeping with you when you're almost completely naked? Come on, I know you don't want to miss sleeping with my almost naked body either," he told him. Kai gave him a look of confusion as he raised his eyebrow, making Tala burst out laughing. "I was just kidding," he said. "I don't want to sleep with your beautiful, bare body. That's going to be Ray's job." Kai let a blush escape, knowing it would go unnoticed in the dark room.

"Shut up!" Kai almost yelled in annoyance, and reached over trying to hit Tala. But Tala jumped off the bed quickly, making Kai fall across the bed as he jumped on to his own bed.

"You're getting slow, you must be tired," Tala said sticking his tongue out at Kai. Kai glared at him, and Tala laughed again sitting down on his bed, and crawling under the covers. "Go to sleep kitty lover," he said suppressing a giggle.

"I said shut up," Kai told him in an angry mumble getting redder, and laid down in his bed turning away from Tala.

Early the next morning Kai was up and getting ready. He was considering just leaving Tala, who was still sleeping, and hiding out somewhere else in China. But he couldn't bring himself to leave his best friend all alone in a place he'd probably end up hurting himself in and getting lost. So instead Kai went for a short walk. He grabbed his and Tala's dirty clothing, stuffed them in a bag, and went to the corner store. There he took out some money in change, and went to a Laundromat a few blocks away to clean the dirty clothing, having nothing else to do with his time.

When he returned to the hotel Tala was still lying in bed. Kai could hear him talking quietly to himself, but he couldn't make out what he was saying. He walked over to Tala's bed and sat down on the edge of it to try to hear what he was saying. But instead, he made Tala jump into a sitting position on the other edge of the bed. "What the hell Kai!" Tala yelled breathing quickly and holding his chest.

"What?" Kai asked him.

"Tell me you're coming in next time! I didn't even hear you!" Tala yelled at him glancing down at the clothing he was still holding in his hands. "And why do you have my clothes? Were you trying to pull a prank on me or something?"

"Do I look like the kind of person to pull pranks?" Kai asked him putting the clothes down and going back over to his bag.

"Not really," Tala said picking up the clothing and looking them over anyways.

"What were you talking to yourself about anyways?" Kai asked him as he picked up the phone and dialled the number for room service. He didn't really feel like going out.

"Nothing," Tala told him in an angry mumble. Kai lifted an eyebrow at him as he started to order one of everything they had on their breakfast menu for Tala, and a small meal for himself. He'd started noticing that Tala liked to eat a lot when he wasn't at home. Tala sighed. "I thought you left this morning, like really left, so I was telling myself how much of an idiot I am. You know, the usual," he told Kai. Kai hung up the phone and sat down at the small table.

"I was going to leave you this morning," Kai told him in a tone that said he was just throwing it out there. "But I didn't think you'd be able to survive here without me." he shrugged.

"Of course I wouldn't, you have all the money," Tala laughed as he got up and went over to his own bag to get some clothes out, putting his freshly cleaned ones away.

"Hn," Kai answered as there was a knock on the door and he got up to answer it.

Tala and Kai left the hotel room with all their things after finishing their meal. They grabbed all the water from the fridge, two really big bottles and four smaller ones, stuffed them into their bags, and then went to the front desk to tell the people they needed to check out early. Kai paid for everything using his card, and they left the building quickly walking a few blocks before Tala stopped Kai. "Do you even know where we're going?" Tala asked him.

"To the airport," he told Tala in a serious tone.

"No we're not! You agreed to find Ray!" Tala whined loudly making people look at them.

"I was kidding," Kai told him. "We're going to where I remember how to get to the village from." Tala let out a sigh.

"Can't you just guess for here so we can get going?" Tala asked him a little annoyed.

"Sure," Kai told him, "If you feel like getting lost and wondering the forest for days." Tala instantly hushed up at the thought of being in the wilderness longer than necessary, and followed Kai without complain.

By the time Kai had decided he knew which direction he was supposed to go in, it was lunch time. He allowed himself and Tala to stop at a very small restaurant, which looked like it was run out of the people's home, and they stayed there for over an hour eating. This was mostly due to the fact that Kai was still hesitant about going to Ray's village. He still didn't know what he was going to say to the boy, and he decided that the later they got there the better. He was slightly hoping that they would get there late at night and have to find a place to stay before seeing Ray, or that they got there and found out the White Tigers were off on a tournament and they'd need to wait a few weeks for them to get back. But even with all these hopes, there was still the slight hope that he'd get to see Ray quickly and fix everything. It just wasn't as strong as the others.

When they were finally done eating, Kai taking the longest to eat, they set out again. Kai tried to take his time walking, but Tala kept pushing him on. He kept telling Kai that they need to go faster, and that he knew Kai was just stalling and need to stop it. Kai quickened his pace. He really hated Tala and all his complaining, and he sometimes wondered why he was friends with him, besides the fact that Tala was the only person that really liked him.

They reached the forest about an hour later. Kai stopped to stare the small path that went into it making Tala, who was walking closely behind him, run into him. "Come on Kai, let's go! Why'd you stop in the middle of the road?" Tala asked him a little annoyed and rubbing his forehead. Kai didn't answer him. He just looked down at his feet and kept walking. "So, are you sure you know how to get there from here?" Tala asked him.

"Hn," Kai answered waking a little faster. Tala quickened his own pace so he was right beside him.

"That doesn't answer my question!" Tala yelled turning his head so it was right in Kai's ear. Kai and turned to glare at him.

"I don't know how to get there," Kai growled at him. "I told you, I know the general direction of the village."

"So we're just supposed to walk and hope we come across it?" Tala asked him.

"Hn," Kai answered again.

"That's not good enough!" Tala yelled at him again.

"Well than you shouldn't have made us go out to find it," Kai told him looking back at his feet. Tala mumbled something under his breath that Kai couldn't hear, and crossed his arms as they started to walk faster.

It was two hours before Tala finally couldn't take it anymore. He stopped in the middle of the small path and grabbed onto Kai's backpack pulling him to a halt. "We've been walking for too long," Tala told him. "Are you sure we're supposed to follow this path the whole time?" he asked as he climbed a nearby tree to sit on its branch. Kai didn't answer him as he leaned against the same tree's trunk. He didn't want to keep repeating himself to Tala. But Tala didn't like this. He ended up loosening his shoe and kicking at Kai, missing. Kai glared up at him, and grabbed the boys shoe refusing to give it back to him until he came down. Tala just crossed his arms and looked away from him.

A few minutes later there was a sound that could be heard getting closer to them. Kai ignored it. He knew there were trucks and other vehicles that came down this road for a short cut, and to deliver supplies to Ray's village. But he wasn't going to tell Tala that. The longer it took them to get to the village the better, and he knew if he told Tala this piece of information that he'd want to try and catch a ride.

Tala leaned forward on his tree branch to look down the road. He could see dust coming up in the direction they'd just come from, but the truck was still very far away. "Why's there a truck coming down here?" Tala asked Kai. "Isn't this a foot path?"

"Hn," Kai answered him.

"Hey, maybe he knows how to get to the village!" Tala said excitedly, his eye lighting up.

"Don't even bother asking, that village is hidden well. Not many people know where it is," Kai told him not even looking up at him. Tala frowned at him.

"Please, just stop him. Maybe he can at least dive us up the road a little," Tala told him.

"Hn," Kai answered.

Tala let out an angry sigh, and jumped from the tree. He made a slight cry of pain as his one shoeless foot hit the rocks, but made his way over to the middle of the road anyways. The older, blue truck slowed down, and stopped just in front of Tala. The man in the truck rolled down his window, and Tala walked over to him wincing at the rocks pushing into his foot. "What's the idea standing in the middle of the road?" the man asked. Tala smiled and laughed nervously.

"I was just wondering if you could give us a little ride?" he asked. The man gave him a confused look and looked around for the 'us' he was talking about. He spotted Kai a few seconds later still leaning against the tree hidden slightly by the shade.

"Well that depends, where are you boys going?" he asked Tala. Tala looked back at Kai, who shook his head, but Tala answered the man truthfully.

"Well, there's supposed to be a village someplace around here, and me and my friend were trying to get to it," Tala told him. The man went wide-eyed for a second, but then raised an eyebrow.

"Now why would you say there was a village out here?" he asked cocking his head to the side slightly.

"Well we have a friend that lives there," Tala told him. "Well he's not really my friend, he's his friend, and we want to go see him."

Kai was now standing beside Tala, and shoved his shoe at him. "Leave the guy alone, Tala, he doesn't know what you're talking about." Tala took the shoe from Kai, and put it on as the man in the truck went wide-eyed again.

"Hey, you're that Kai kid, aren't you?" he asked looking Kai over carefully.

"And if I am?" Kai asked him.

"Well it's just that, if you are him, you'd know Ray, since you were on the same team and all, and you're probably going to go see him," the man said smiling. Kai opened his mouth ready to lie and tell the guy he wasn't. But Tala stood up straight, quickly, and cut Kai off.

"So you do know where the village is?" Tala asked. "That's great, can you take us there?" The man laughed.

"I sure can. Any person Ray talks so highly of is welcome in the village, and any friend of his is welcome too. I can't believe you boys were trying to get there one foot though," the man said smiling. "Hop into the back there with all the crates. I'm sure there's room. Sorry for the smell though. I had to pick up some more chickens and their cages haven't been cleaned well. Some animals keep coming over and eating our chickens, so I just grabbed the first ones I could find out at a farm on the other side of the town down this road. That's why I'm out here today. Usually we don't like going out, so you boys are really lucky you picked today to come over."

"Yeah, lucky," Kai mumbled as he walked over to the back of the truck and climbed in, Tala right behind him. Then the man set off up the road again.

"You know, I'm really starting to think you don't actually want to go out there," Tala told Kai. "I could tell you were lying to me by the way."

"I do want to go out there," Kai told him. "Just not as much as I don't want to go." Tala rolled his eyes and shook his head.

They drove down the road for a good half hour before the driver pulled off it. He drove through the forest, through a very bumpy area, making Kai and Tala need to hang onto the truck for dear life while the crates were tied down securely and hardly moving. When the bumps finally stopped they were in a clearing. The driver pulled up against the edge of the clearing, and got out of the truck. Tala and Kai helped him unload the crates, and cover the truck with a tarp before he told them to follow him with a few crates. They did as he said and headed through the trees.

A few minutes later they emerged into another bigger clearing, Tala going wide-eyed. They were now at Ray's small village in the forest. They walked up to the front of it where a few people were waiting. They and the man that had driven Kai and Tala talked for a bit before they told Kai and Tala to put the crates down and go in. Then the three men left back to the truck to get the rest of the crates of supplies.

Kai and Tala entered the village looking around. It was quite small, and there were only a few people walking around. But Kai knew that just these few people were about half the village. Kai made Tala walk slowly down the road. He couldn't bring himself to walk very fast knowing that Ray was so close now. He really didn't know what he was going to do if he saw him. As they walked a few people looked at them, but none of them said anything. It was a small town, and they probably all thought the same things the first man did. That he was Kai from Ray's former team, and that the person with him was just a friend, which was true. No matter how much Kai wished he could say it wasn't.

Tala pocked Kai in the back making him arch it and turn to get away from his finger. He glared at him, and Tala laughed telling him to walk faster. Kai mumbled that Tala was acting like an annoying little kid again, and turn walking faster as Tala started up his whining. They reached the end of the street, and Kai let out a quiet sigh of relief. Ray hadn't been around anywhere down the main road, but something was making him wish he had been. "Well, I guess we can just go back to town now, he's not here," Kai told Tala trying to sound casual, but it came out a little rushed.

"Doesn't he have a training dish somewhere?" Tala asked. Kai nodded. "Do you know where it is?" he asked him. Kai thought for a moment and then nodded slowly. "You're taking me there," Tala said in a more demanding way than asking way. Kai let out a sigh, and nodded once more before turning off the main path and leading Tala back towards the trees.

The two boys walked a few minutes before coming to a very small clearing with a small beystadium. Kai stopped dead in his tracks when he saw that there were actually people there, and walked sideways to stand behind a nearby tree. "Oh come on Kai, stop being such a scaredy cat," Tala said a little angrily, and walked into the clearing. Kai reached out a hand to stop him, but Tala just ended up turning, grabbing it and then dragging Kai with him over to the Beystadium. He stopped behind the group of people, and Kai looked away from them. He recognized them as the White Tigers and a few younger kids watching and getting help with training. Tala scanned the group before spotting the person he was looking for, standing off to the side couching one of the kids battling, and ran over to him. "Ray!" Tala yelled tackling and grabbing him with one arm, because the other was still holding Kai's hand. Kai glared at Tala and he tried to get out of his hand's grip, but failed when Tala kept making his grip tighter. So instead he just gave up and let Tala drag him along.

Ray jumped a little and scanned the boy holding onto him with one arm, before his expression went sour. "What are you doing here?" he asked bitterly, not noticing Kai. Tala looked up at him blinking and let go.

"We came to see you," Tala told him grinning and pulling on Kia's hand. Kai stumbled forward a few steps at the sudden yank, but regained his balance quickly avoiding looking at Ray.

"Why, so you can rub it in my face that I was so easy to replace on the Bladebreakers team?" he asked glaring at Tala.

"No...Wait, what?" Tala asked cocking his head to the side.

"You know what," Ray told him turning his back to him and addressing Lee. "I need to leave for a few minutes to talk to these guys in private." Lee nodded to show he was allowing it, and Ray turned to the boy he was coaching. "It's time to give someone else a turn, unless you want to try blading without help for a few minutes," he told him sweetly. The boy nodded, and then Ray turned walking past Tala and Kai.

Tala and Kai stood there for a few seconds because Tala yanked on Kai's hand again and made him run to catch up to Ray. They entered the trees, and walked a few feet before Ray stopped and turned to face Tala and Kai. Kai still wasn't looking at him, and Tala was still looking confused. "Well get it over with then," Ray said. "Start insulting me, and bragging about being on the team so we can get it out of the way."

"That's not why we're here," Tala told him. "We came here to talk." Ray laughed slightly.

"Yeah right," he said. "Kai doesn't look like he's in much of a talking mood, and I got the letter for Tyson and Mr. D saying I was replaced. How could you Kai?" Kai didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say to Ray, so he let Tala do all his talking. Although he knew it was a very bad idea.

"Why do you even care? You left the team, it shouldn't matter to you who took your place," Tala said getting slightly annoyed.

"Well it does," Ray told him through clenched teeth. "I might not be on the team anymore, but I still care about them and only want someone on the team that they can actually trust."

"And why can't they trust me?" Tala asked him finally letting go of Kia's hand to cross his arms. Kai didn't move though, he stayed standing beside Tala not wanting to turn anyone's attention on him.

"Because you're crazy, you and your team are puppets made by that Abby! You have no real social skills, and no one can fully trust you! I have no idea how Kai puts up with it or why he's even your friend! You don't deserve to be friends with him, he's just being nice!" Ray yelled at him. He was really annoyed with Tala now, and he just let everything he'd wanted to say to him for a long time flow out of his mouth. But he didn't care. He was mad that Tala had forced himself into his place on the Bladebreakers, and then came all the way to China to see him. It really felt like all he wanted was to rub it in his face.

The red haired boy opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it. He couldn't believe the words coming out of Ray's mouth. He'd always though Ray was a nice and considerate guy, but after this, and the letter he'd sent to Kai, Tala wasn't sure he wanted to let his mission of getting Kai and Ray to talk things out go any farther. Tala glared at Ray, and opened his mouth again to speak. If Ray was going to be nasty to him like this, he was going to be nasty right back. "_I_ don't deserve to be Kai's friend?" Tala yelled at him. "What about you? You left him and his team more times than you've told them you like being their friend, you're a complete jerk to him when everyone else is, and you completely shattered his heart!" Ray went wide-eyed as Tala talked. He knew two of those statements were true, no matter how much he didn't want to admit it, but he had no idea what Tala was talking about when he said he shattered Kai's heart. Ray opened his mouth a little to speak again, but Tala cut him off and kept going. "He's been depressed and crying for days because of you! He wouldn't even tell me what was wrong until I forced it out of him! He was going to just carry the burden around by himself because no one's ever been there for him to actually trust with his problems until _I_ came around! You and the Bladebreakers never cared about him! He was just there to help you win matches! No wonder he wanted to take this break from you guys and come to Russia! He was missing me, his real friend!"

Ray clenched his fist and glared intensely at Tala. "I no idea what you're even talking about," he told him through clenched teeth. "What do you mean I 'shattered his heart' I didn't even do anything."

"See, and that's your problem!" Tala yelled at him. "You don't even realize when you do things to hurt him or when he's hurt from someone else, and you don't notice when he's trying to get your attention or sending you hints that he likes you! You're completely oblivious to him because you've never taken the time to actually get to know him like I have! I never understood why he was in love with you, but I'm his best friend so I supported him and tried to help him by convincing him to come here and find you so he could talk things over with you in person! You never know what kind of reaction you really get from a person when you write a _letter_, or even talk to them on the phone, so I wanted you guys to talk face-to-face. But maybe I was wrong in doing it. You're really not the person I thought you were, and I might have actually hurt Kai more by bringing him here," Tala got quieter, calming down a little bit with the last few sentences. He took a deep breath and let his arms drop to his side turning to look beside him at Kai. But Kai was gone, and instead he could see the small boy that Ray was training running back towards the clearing. Tala clenched his fist angrily and turned back to Ray. Ray was slumped against a tree holding his head and cursing under his breath. Tala gave him one last glare before running off, without saying another word, to go look for Kai.

Tala found Kai an hour later sitting in a tree just outside the village. He had one leg hanging off the branch he was on, and was picking at something. Tala climbed up to the branch beside and a short distance up from Kai's branch and saw that he was picking at a leaf and crying quietly. Tala put a hand on Kai's shoulder, but he didn't look at him. He just slid forward a bit so Tala could come down and sit behind him. He knew everything that had just happened was split evenly between Tala, Ray, and himself. It was Tala's fault for blurting everything Kai was scared of saying out, Ray's for being overly jealous and acting on it, and Kai's for not stopping them. So Kai didn't care about how much he was mad at Tala at the moment. It wasn't all his fault and he really needed his best friend to be close to him right now. Tala slid down from his branch, and sat behind Kai with both legs dangling over the edge. Kai slid back a little ways to lean back into him, and Tala instantly wrapped his arms around Kai. "I'm sorry," Tala said in a whisper. "Thanks for not leaving me."

"It's not all your fault," Kai told him. "And I could never leave you behind. I tried once, back at the hotel." Tala let out a little chuckle.

"I'm very hard to get rid of," he told him grabbing his hands to stop him from picking at the leaf he was holding. Kai responded by letting go of the leaf and letting Tala hold his one hand, while he fidgeted with Tala's fingers on the other.

"I noticed," Kai said tilting his head back to look up at him. Tala smiled down at him. "Maybe I should have fallen for you instead of Ray," Kai said with a laugh.

"That's not a very nice thought. You would have been hurt even worse if you liked me, and things would have been awkward," Tala told him. Kai raised an eyebrow at him, and Tala turned a little pink. "Well I only really think of you as a friend, Kai. Plus I actually really like Bryan?" he told him rushing his words a little. Kai frowned at him. "Don't look at me like that!" Tala whined. "With those tear streaks on your face I feel like I just rejected you or something."

"You did just reject me," Kai said looking away from him. His neck was starting to hurt.

"No I didn't, because if I did it would be very awkward right now," Tala told him.

"Why? Because you're holding me like I'm your boyfriend, and we've been sleeping like we've been together for the past few days?" Kai asked him laughing a little. Tala turned a little pinker.

"Maybe," he said laughing too. "I don't think I'll ever be able to actually reject you, even if I do like Bryan."

"Why not," Kai asked him. He liked how openly he could talk to Tala about things like this, and how Tala was willing to talk about, or do anything, to get Kai's mind off the things he didn't really want to think about.

"Well, because it would mean we can't do things like this anymore, right?" he asked referring to their position in the tree. "And then I'd just feel bad because I know you secretly like it." Kai let out a chuckle.

"I didn't know it was a secret," he said joking along with his best friend. It was true though, Tala was the only person he felt comfortable enough around to not feel awkward when they were like this, or when they woke up the way they did sometimes. But that was mostly because Tala was the only one willing to get close enough to him so it was able to happen. Tala let out a sigh.

"I'm going to fix things," he told Kai squeezing his hand a little.

"You've already tried that," Kai reminded him.

"That was once, I get three tries before I'm allowed to give up," he said stubbornly.

"This isn't a game, Tala, we both screwed up, it's over," Kai told him with a sigh.

"How did we both screw up? It was only me who screwed things up for you," Tala said a little confused.

"I screwed up because I could have stopped you from saying all that stuff, but instead I just ran away to hind up in a tree and cry. How pathetic is that?" he asked not really wanting an answer, but he knew Tala would give him one anyways.

"Pretty pathetic, I guess," Tala answered laughing. "But we can still fix it. Since you left you still have a chance to go and talk to Ray." Kai shook his head.

"I don't think I can," he told him with a sigh looking up through the cracks between the leaves at the light shining through them.

There was shouting coming from the village just behind Kai and Tala. The two boys couldn't make out what it was about, all they knew was that it was getting louder and louder as they sat there quietly listening. A few seconds later there was crowed of people, probably the whole village, exiting out of the village. Kai and Tala looked down at them. They were so close, yet the people didn't seem to notice them. They were too occupied on the two people in front of the crowed. Ray and the village's elder.

Ray and the elder stopped walking, and the people behind them went silent. Ray turned looking at the elder angrily. "I didn't say anything like that!" Ray yelled at him. Kai went a little wide-eyed. He knew it wasn't good to yell at the elder in Ray's village, and he didn't think Ray would be a person to do it.

"I'm sorry Ray, but they've all been thinking this about you for years. Now they have proof," the old mad told him calmly.

"But I didn't say that!" Ray yelled at him.

"I believe you didn't, but the rest of the village doesn't. I've been trying to proof them wrong for you for years, but nothings worked," he told him.

"This is stupid! I don't understand why you're doing this at all!" Ray yelled.

"The village has its rule that we need to stick by, Ray," Kevin said looking a little smug.

"How could you Ray!" Mariah yelled. "All these years I've...Why didn't you tell us?" she asked turning and crying into Lee's shoulder.

"Because, I didn't want something like this to happen, you people sicken me!" Ray yelled clenching his fist.

"So you admit it?" Lee asked him.

"I didn't say what that little brat said I did, but I will to agree that that's how I do feel!" Ray yelled at him. "The thing is I've never acted on it! So how can you throw me out when I've never done anything wrong?"

"You may not have acted on it, yet, but you can't change who you are. I'm sorry Ray, but you can't live here anymore," the village elder told him shaking his head. Ray glared at him, and then at everyone else.

"Fine, I didn't like living here anyways, not after realizing what the real world is all about! You're missing out! I have other places I can go with people that actually care about me, and might actually accept me, unlike you people! You all sicken me!" He yelled and then turned his gaze to the White Tigers. "All of you," he growled turning and walking away.

Kai and Tala watched shock at what was going on. They didn't know what had happened, but they knew it wasn't good. Ray stopped a few steps away from the tree they were under, and Kai and Tala froze when he looked up at them. "This is all, your fault!" he yelled at them. "I hope you're happy now!" he said and then headed up the road at a run. The rest of the village looked up at Kai and Tala too now, apparently having known they were there the whole time.

"You two boys are no longer welcome here either," the elder told them. "Please leave the small area surrounding this village now, and never come back." He then turned to the other villagers, and herded them back inside.


	7. Forest

Kai and Tala watched as the village people walked away without give them a second glance. They looked at each other before Kai let off a sigh and slid to the ground from the tree branch. "We're not actually going to go are we, the suns going to be setting in an hour," Tala said watching Kai. Kai turned and looked up at him.

"We don't have a choice, do we?" he asked him.

"But we don't even know where we're going! What if we get lost and starve out here, or attacked by wild animals?" Tala asked. Kai rolled his eyes and started walking away from Tala.

"We'll just have to go find Ray then, wont we," he said heading in the direction Ray had been running when he left. Tala let out an angry groan and slid out of the tree running a little to catch up to Kai.

"But Ray _ran_ away! He's probably too far away for us to even hope to find now! Plus he's mad at us, and it would be awkward!" Tala whined trying desperately to get Kai to stay where they were until morning. He felt safer by the village, even if the people did hate them now.

Kai stopped walking abruptly, almost making Tala run into him, and turned around looking Tala in the eyes a little angrily. "First of all, I'm not doing what you want to do anymore. Letting you take the lead was what got us into this mess in the first place, so I'm doing what I want now," Kai started sounding very angry. "Second, I know Ray way better than you and I know for a fact that he hasn't gone far. He might have seemed angry but I know he expects someone to come looking for him, so he's probably just up here a little ways. Third, I don't care if it's going to be awkward. We need Ray in order to get out of this forest, and Ray needs someone with him. I don't want him to be alone, and I know he doesn't want to be alone either. Besides, if we wait until tomorrow it might really be too late and he'll have left. Then we're screwed."

Tala watched as Kai turned his back to him and started walking away again. "You don't have to come if you don't want to, but just remember that you're screwed if you don't fallow," Kai told Tala sounding a little less annoyed now. Tala smiled to himself and caught up to Kai again.

"You're finally starting to sound like your old self," he told him a little cheerfully. "I'm just sorry I had to screw things up more for it to happen."

"Hn," Kai answered walking a little faster now.

"Although I did like being the leader for a while," Tala said with a sigh. "Oh well, I can never hope to be a better leader than you anyways." Kai turned his head and looked at Tala with a raised eyebrow. Tala grinned at him and laughed.

"You're a very strange kid," Kai said plainly.

"I am not a kid!" Tala whined. Kai didn't say anything back. He just shook his head and stuffed his hands in his pockets, ignoring Tala.

Kai and Tala walked for, what seemed to Tala was hours, but was really only a few minutes. The forest was making it seem darker out than it actually was, and there was a cool breeze blowing the tree tops making a rustling sound. It was very quiet, besides that rustling, and the odd crack of a twig snapping under their feet, which made Tala jump a little every time he heard it. After a few minutes Tala stopped walking and flung his hand out to stop Kai. Kai glared at him and was about to ask what was wrong, but Tala put a finger to his lips and looked away. Kai let glared thinking Tala was just playing around so they could stop to rest, but then Kai heard what he thought made Tala stop.

There was a quiet sniff coming from somewhere beside them, and the sound a beyblade spinning and slamming into something. Tala turned and started walking slowly and quietly in the direction of the noise. Kai let out an angry sigh. "He's not a wild animal, he's not going to run away if he hears you," he told Tala walking quickly past him. Tala reached out to stop him, but Kai brushed his hand away and kept going. Tala let out a groan and followed behind him quietly.

They found the place the noise was coming from, and stopped a few feet away looking at Ray. Ray glanced over at them for a second before turning his back to them, wiping his eyes on his shirt, and letting Digger spin beside him. Tala watched him for a few seconds before taking a step forward, making a twig snap, and before he knew what was happening Kai was pulling him into his arms and something was flying past his head. Kai moved to let go of Tala, but before he got the chance he'd needed to duck, pulling Tala with him, as Ray's blade came flying back at them from behind. Kai watched as it landed beside Ray again, spinning on the spot. "What the hell was that for?" Tala yelled forcing himself out of Kai's arms, and standing up again. Ray didn't say anything, he just made Drigger go after him, aiming at his feet this time, making him have to step quickly out of the way. "I told you coming after him was a bad idea! He wants to kill me!" Tala yelled hiding behind Kai.

Drigger stopped as soon as Tala had started to use Kai as a shield. It stopped at Kai's feet and slowed down to a stop. Tala stepped out from behind Kai, and Kai picked up Drigger. He walked over to Ray, but Ray didn't look at him. He placed Drigger back beside him, and walked a few steps away before sitting down against a nearby tree. Tala watched Kai until he was sitting down, and then moved and sat on the side of him farthest from Ray.

The three boys sat quietly for a few long minutes before anyone spoke. "Did you really come after me, or did you just start walking, realized you were lost, heard me and came over?" Ray asked them.

"Why does it matter?" Kai asked. "We came to find you, didn't we?"

"It matters, because if it's the second one I'll leave you guys in the middle of the night when you can't see to walk without bumping into trees," he told him through clenched teeth.

"I told you he was mad at us," Tala told Kai. "He doesn't want to see us. He was hoping someone from the village still liked him and came after him." Ray turned his head, glaring and clenched Drigger in his hand.

"Tala, will you just keep quiet for once?" Kai asked him in a deadly tone.

"Why, you mad that I'm telling the truth about the guy that just said getting kicked out of his village was _our_ fault?" Tala asked him. "Because as I recall it wasn't _our_ fault, it was mine and his."

"Does it really matter?" Kai asked him.

"Yes, it does! I don't know if you've noticed, but people are always blaming you for things you didn't do, or were even around to be involved in! Maybe you've just gotten use to it and don't care anymore, but I don't think it's fair! Why should you take the blame for something you didn't do? And how can you still like this guy when he's such a jerk to you?" Tala yelled clenching his fists. Kai let out a sigh and grabbed the clenched hand closest to him so, Ray couldn't see. Tala unclenched his fists slightly, and looked around Kai at Ray.

Ray was leaning against the tree he was by now, with his head resting on it making him look up towards the tree tops. He was clenching Drigger hard, and it looked as if a fresh batch of tears had fallen silently from his eyes. Tala bit his lip and looked away from him, leaning back on the tree and staring down at his lap. He felt a little bad now. "It's true though. The only reason I wanted to come out here was to find him for you so you'd feel better, but so far he hasn't done anything to show he deserves to even talk to you. I don't get what you think is so great about him," Tala mumbled fidgeting with a leaf in his free hand.

"You don't have to get it," Kai told him in a mumbled looking up at the trees.

There was another silence. This one was longer than the last, and was only interrupted by the breeze making its way through the trees. Kai didn't really know what to do or say in the situation he was in. He wanted to go over and talk to Ray but he knew Ray was mad at him, and Tala was now holding his hand back resting slightly on his shoulder. He didn't want to disturb his best friend, but he didn't want Ray to think they were only over here because they'd heard him and were lost. He knew that either way it was a loose for him. Tala and Ray were madder at each other than at him, and if he left Tala he'd get mad at him for choosing Ray when he thought he was being a jerk. But, if Kai didn't go over to talk with Ray then Ray would stay hurt. Kai let out a soft sigh making his decision. He'd stay with Tala, he looked like he was sleeping anyways and Kai really didn't want to disturb him.

The silence and growing darkness started to get to Kai after a few more minutes. It made him check beside him, where Ray was, every once in a while to make sure he was still there. And every time he looked over and saw even just Ray's outline it made him feel a little more relieved. His mind was completely off Tala now, and was just focusing on making sure Ray wasn't getting up to run off on them. It was true that they needed Ray to stay so they could get out of the forest and back to civilization, but Kai also wanted Ray to stay just because he liked feeling his presence.

There was finally a sound of movement from Ray's direction, and Kai looked over staring intently. He was ready to move Tala so he could get up and run blindly into the darkness after Ray if he had to, to make him stay with them. But Kai soon realized, as Ray's outline started to get clearer, that he might not have to run after Ray after all. Ray was coming over to him. Kai didn't know if it was to just walk past on his way to leaving him and Tala, or because he'd finally gotten sick of sitting alone. But he was a little happier knowing Ray wasn't making a run for it in the other direction.

Kai watched as Ray came over to him, stopped, looking down at him for a few seconds while he looked up, and then slowly sat down beside him, neither of them saying anything. Ray leaned his back against the tree for a few seconds before bringing his knees up and hiding his face in them. Kai didn't say or do anything. He looked away from Ray, picking up a leaf and playing with it like Tala had, and waited for him to be ready. He knew Ray would talk first if he wanted to talk, which he did a few seconds later. "Why'd you do it?" Ray asked in a whisper, his voice cracking slightly.

"Do what?" Kai asked, and was surprised when his voice came out a whisper too.

"Replace me with him, and then come down here to rub it in my face," Ray replied sounding a little hurt now, and looking over at Kai.

"I didn't," Kai told him calmly. He hated that Ray was accusing him of doing that, but he didn't want to tell him and risk a fight.

"Yes you did," Ray said sounding angry now. "I got the letter saying Tala replaced me, and a few days later you're down here with him."

"That's not why we came down," Kai told him. It was becoming harder to stay calm now. "Tala volunteered himself to take your place, but he didn't actually want to battle. He just wanted to come with me to the tournament so he could get me to come here after. But we didn't even go to the tournament. We stopped in Japan and were about to go, but turned around and came here." He didn't know why he was telling Ray all this, besides the fact that he felt he had to. He felt like he had to tell Ray, because he deserved to know the truth. Kai wanted to clear things up. He didn't want Ray being mad at him and Tala anymore, or feeling like they'd tried to hurt him.

"That still doesn't tell me why you did it," Ray told him turning his head so it was back in his knees. Kai wanted to reach out and touch Ray. To rub his back or take his hand to help him feel a little better, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead he just clenched his fist, crushing the leaf in it.

"Tala already told you why," Kai said a little more bitter than he intended to sound.

"And you think I'm going to believe him without hearing it from you too?" Ray asked him sounding a little angry. Kia unclenched his fist now realizing Ray had been forcing himself to stay calm too.

"Ray," Kai started making his voice sound a little softer. "We came down here because Tala thought I needed to see you. I thought I needed to see you too."

"Why?" Ray asked demandingly looking back at Kai.

"Because...because of your letter," he told him a little shakily.

"What was wrong with it?" Ray asked, Kai could tell he was trying to sound calm again. "All I did was say I was leaving the team again. It's not like I haven't done it before." Kai nodded.

"But even the other times me and the others tried to make you come back, didn't we?" he asked. Ray nodded slowly and opened his mouth to say something, but Kai cut him off. "This time it was different though, because you sounded like you really didn't want to come back and it got to me," he told Ray in almost a whisper. "I didn't know what to do, all the other times I knew you were going to come back eventually but this time I didn't."

Ray sat there quietly biting his lip as he noticed Kai's mood drop and the sadness cross his face. He felt bad, even though he hadn't really done anything wrong, and he wanted to fix it. "I'm sorry," Ray said a little shakily and in a whisper. "I shouldn't have brought this up. I came over here because I didn't want to be alone anymore, and because Tala looked like he was done freaking out, not to get emotions running again."

"Its fine," Kai told him with a sad sigh.

"Thanks for coming after me," he said leaning against the tree trunk, his eyes instantly getting heavy. He was tired from all the things that had happened so quickly in only one day.

"You shouldn't thank me. We would have come after you even if we didn't want to, you're our only way out of here," Kai reminded him, forcing himself not to get any closer to, or touch, Ray.

"But you did want to come after me, right?" Ray asked in an almost non understandable mumble.

"Yeah," Kai replied biting his lip as he looked towards Tala. He wished it could be Ray using his shoulder for a pillow as he held his hand.

"Good," Ray mumbled and fell into a light sleep against the tree.


	8. Hurt

Kai woke the next morning slumped against the tree. His shoulder where Tala had been felt a little light. He opened his eyes slowly as he looked beside him. Tala wasn't there anymore. Instead Kai now realised that there was a weight in his lap, and he looked down to find that Tala had slid off of his shoulder in the night and ended up curled up, Kai's lap now acting as his pillow. Kai closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the cool, fresh, forest air. He then opened them again and looked around for Ray. But he wasn't beside him anymore or in any of the trees that he could see. Kai's hear sank. He'd been expecting this ever since they'd found Ray, for him to run away and leave them in the forest. He just thought that after their talk that night Ray might have at least said something, or given him some kind of clue as to how to get out. But there was nothing that Kai could see, and he found himself on the verge of tears again as he looked down at Tala, wishing it was Ray he was seeing laying there peacefully in his lap.

The wind blew lightly through the trees making the leaves rustle. Kai felt Tala shiver, and he wondered how someone who lived in the same cold, snowy place as him could be bothered by the slight cold the wind was bringing. He sat for a few more minutes in silence, waiting and listening. He didn't really know why he was listening to the small nagging feeling that was now telling him Ray would be back, but he guessed it was because he really hoped and wanted for him to come back.

The minutes passed slowly, and finally Kai decided that it was time to start the journey home, even if he didn't know where he and Tala were supposed to be going. He looked back down at Tala and shook him lightly telling him quietly to wake up, and slowly Tala began to open his eyes. He blinked, and Kai lifted his hand off his shoulder so he could sit up and look at him. "Good morning," Tala mumbled sleepily. Kai didn't answer as Tala yawned and stretching his arms and legs out, looking around them. "Where's Ray gone off to?" he asked. Kai shrugged. "Don't tell me he actually had the guts to run off in the night," Tala told him.

"Hn," Kai answered.

"He did, didn't? That's why you're acting like this to me again. Because he actually ditched us after we came to find him, and now you're sad," Tala said, starting to get a little angry. "I knew this was going to happen! I'm such an idiot!" Kai raised an eyebrow at Tala. "I should have never dragged you out here to find him. This was a stupid idea. Ray's a jerk who only cares about himself. That's why he left us here. This is all my fault for thinking he was a good enough guy for you, and for wanting to do something nice to help cheer you up. I screwed everything up for suggesting we come down here. Now Ray's gone and hates us, and you're depressed and don't want to talk to me," Tala told him in an angry tone, standing up. "I say screw Ray, we'll find someone better for you. Someone that's not a complete jerk, who won't leave us stranded in a forest, someone way betting looking than him, with a nicer personality, and better attitude."

There was a noise like someone stepping on a twig and snapping it. Tala and Kai looked away from each other towards the noise. A few seconds later a hesitant Ray stepped out from behind a tree and walked over to them. Kai looked up at Ray, and then instantly looked away feeling ashamed for failing to stand up for him again during Tala's ranting. But he didn't know what to do. He knew if he'd have stood up for him Tala would only have gotten mad at him for staying loyal to Ray and hanging onto his feeling for him after everything that had happened, so he felt he had to stay silent, since he didn't think Ray was there to hear Tala anyways.

Ray walked over to them holding something over his shoulder. As he got closer Kai and Tala could see that it was actually three sticks with two small fish on each. "Morning," Ray said in a neutral voice as he stabbed the bottom ends of the sticks into the ground. "I brought breakfast. I thought you guys might be hungry when you got up," he told them, and then put a leaf with berries on it down by them before moving away to make a fire.

Kai sat against the tree trunk staring at the berry he'd taken from the leaf. He turned it around in his fingers as Ray sat with his back to him and Tala making a fire, and Tala stared down at him. Tala let out a sigh and crouched down beside Kai. "I'm sorry," he said reaching for a berry and eating it. Kai looked over at him with a slight glare.

"Why are you saying sorry to me? It's Ray you should say sorry to," he told him before putting the berry in his mouth, taking a few more, and standing up to stretch. He then started walking away. Walking past where Ray was sitting in the direction Ray had just come from.

"Where are you going?" Tala yelled running after him.

"For a walk," Kai said, and then stopped to look at him. "I'd stay here with Ray if I were you, unless you feel like getting lost, because I'm not stopping every five seconds for you." Kai turned and walked away from Tala again as Tala just stood there staring.

Tala walked slowly back over to the tree he and Kai had just been at, and sat down staring at the berries that were still sitting on the ground in front of it. He stayed like that for a few minutes before realizing Kai really wasn't coming back any time soon. Tala grabbed the leaf of berries and stood up walking over to where Ray had successfully made a fire and was cooking his fish. "Hey," Tala said sitting down beside Ray, putting the berries between them. Ray didn't even glance over at him as he slid away from Tala to leave a bigger gap between them. Tala let out a sigh and hesitated before looking over at Ray, who was frowning. "Thanks for getting us something to eat," he said, trying to sound sincerely grateful, because he was. Ray just brought his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on them, nodding to show he wasn't completely ignoring him. Tala opened his mouth to say something, but closed it quickly and looked away from Ray into the flames of the fire, not really knowing what he could say without getting into another fight.

Kai returned a few minutes later looking a little calmer than before he left. He took a seat in-between Tala and Ray, the gap having grown bigger as the time went by and making them on other ends of the fire from each other. As soon as Kai sat back down Ray reach for a stick that was sitting so the flames were just out of reach of the fish on it, and handed it to him. "Thanks," Kai mumbled, and Ray nodded. Kai noticed that Ray had already started eating his second fish, and looked over to see that Tala hadn't even touched his. He was just sitting and staring at the fish that were still on the stick in his lap. "What's wrong?" Kai asked moving closer to him, not noticing Ray's expression dropping when he did.

"I don't want to get the little fish bones stuck in my throat," Tala told Kai. "I don't know how to pick them out." Kai let out a sigh and took one of his own fish, showing Tala how to take the bones out, and then waited from him to try.

It took Tala a while to get it, completely tearing apart his first fish, but when he did finally get it right he still had about half his second fish left to eat. Kai shook his head and ate half of one of his own fish before giving the rest of it and his second one to Tala to eat. Kai then got up and walked over to a tree to lean against, so he was away from the heat of the fire and had something to rest his back on.

When Ray and Tala were finished their breakfast Ray put out the fire and motioned for Kai and Tala to follow him. The three of them walked for a few minutes before coming to a river. Ray stopped by the edge and looked up into the sky. It was still early morning and the sun wasn't high enough in the sky to be seen over the trees yet. Ray looked up and down the river, as if looking for something, and then let out a soft sigh before walking along the edge of the river against the stream. "Fallowing the river is the easiest way out of here," he explained to Kai and Tala, without looking over his shoulder to address them.

The three of them walked until the sun was starting to set, only having to stop a few times for Tala. He was trying to suck it up and be less of a burden to Kai, knowing he'd been a big pain most of their trip and didn't want to get Kai mad at him again. The only other time they stopped was for lunch, which Ray got for them. There wasn't much talking during the trip along the river and through the trees, and by the time it was getting dark again they emerged from the forest a few feet away from a road that lead up to a town.

As soon as they got to the road Tala let out a sigh of relief, and asked if they could stop of a short rest. Kai and Ray both agreed, and Tala collapsed onto his back in the grass by the road, breathing hard and looking up at the sky. "Tala, are you ok?" Kai asked, sounding very concerned.

"Yeah...I'm...fine," Tala breathed. "Just...need a...rest." Tala's breathing slowly got from heavy to normal and he started to close his eyes.

"Tala, are you sure you're ok?" Kai asked kneeling down beside him. Tala nodded weakly.

"I just...never did...that much...walking and climbing...without stopping...to rest lots...before," he said getting quieter with each word and still talking like he was out of breath. Then began to breath heavily again.

Ray moved over to the two of them now and knelt down on the other side of Tala. He put a hand on Tala's forehead, and then looked up at Kai. "We need to get him someplace cool and get him some water. He's really over heated and dehydrated," Ray told Kai, standing up.

"What about a hospital?" Kai asked him.

"That's too far away. Besides he doesn't need one, I know what to do," Ray said, helping Tala get up.

"I don't...want to...move," Tala complained as he collapsed into Ray.

"I'll carry you," Kai told him, and Ray helped Tala onto Kai's back.

Ray led the way quickly towards the closest Inn he knew of in the town they were at, The Inn keeper showing them straight up to a room. When Tala was placed on a bed, and Kai was sure Ray was going to be fine without him being there to help, Kai went back down with the Inn keeper to pay for the room. When Kai got back Ray had Tala sitting up in the bed with his legs under a thin bed sheet. Tala's clothes were in a messy pile on the floor, he had a wet cloth on his forehead, and Ray was sitting beside him on the bed helping him get a drink of water from a water bottle. Kai closed the room's door behind him, and walked quickly over to sit on the foot of Tala's bed. He watched as Tala took a few drinks of water before Ray lowered the bottle from his lips and Tala closed his eyes again leaning back on the beds headboard.

The room was silent for a few minutes as Ray and Kai sat there watching Tala, Ray getting up one to get the cloth on Tala's forehead cold and wet again. When the cloth was placed back on his forehead Tala opened his eyes slowly and looked at Ray. A weak smile crossed his face, and he pushed himself to sit up more. "Thank you Ray," he said weakly. "I changed my mind about you. You're wonderful." Ray turned a little pink and got off the bed.

"You should drink some more water, and then get some sleep," he told him helping him with the water bottle, and then helping him slide down into bed. Ray went over to the closet and pulled out a small fan. He plugged it in by Tala's bed and turned it on low to help keep him cool while he slept.

"You're a life saver, Ray," Tala said, winking at Kai when Ray's back was turned, and then closed his eyes to get some sleep.

After a few more minutes of Ray watching Tala to make sure he really was ok, he took the spare blankets from his bed and began to make a small bed with them on the floor. Their Inn room was a small room that had only been meant for one person anyways. It was a one bed room with a small fridge and a couch that was big enough for someone to sleep on if they needed. Ray had chosen to give the couch to Kai. Once he was done making the bed on the floor he laid down in it and closed his eyes, acting as if he didn't even notice Kai's presents still on the foot of Tala's bed.

Kai watched Ray and Tala both for a few seconds before standing up and sitting down beside Ray. Ray opened his eyes into slits and looked up at him, but instantly closed them and rolled so his back was to him. Kai frowned down at Ray. "Why don't you take the couch?" he asked him. Ray didn't answer. "Well I don't want it, so if you don't take it it's going to waste," Kai told him. He went on the other side of Tala's bed and curled up on the floor, closing his eyes.

There was the sound of light footsteps coming towards Kai after a few seconds, stopping by his face. Kai opened his eyes and looked up to see Ray standing over him with the blanket's he'd used as a bed. Kai rolled onto his back and looked up at Ray raising an eyebrow. "I want you to answer something for me," he told him. "It's bugging me and I can't sleep." Kai looked at Ray for a few seconds before sitting up and leaning against Tala's bed.

"What?" he asked.

"Twice Tala verbally attacked me and you didn't do anything to defend me. You know me way better than him, why didn't you say something? Or do you agree with what he said about me?" Ray asked in a serious tone.

"I don't agree at all with what he said, and I'm sure he doesn't agree with what he said either. He feels really bad about this morning, but he was confused, tired, and hungry," Kai told him, a sad look creeping across his face.

"I don't care about Tala feeling bad. Or about him at all right now for that matter," Ray said a little angrily. "All I care about is why you didn't tell him off, or at least tell him to stop."

"I couldn't," Kai told him. "I've been stuck between you and Tala every since you saw each other, and if I would have said anything to him he would have gotten mad at me too."

"So you chose to stay quiet and support him?" Ray asked, his anger rising.

"I didn't choose to support Tala. If I had chosen him I would have been yelling at you too, and if I would have chosen you I would have been yelling at him," Kai told Ray, getting angry too. "You don't understand how hard it is to choose between you and the best friend I've ever had. I didn't want either of you mad at me." Ray glared down at Kai.

"You and Tala seem like more than best friends to me," he told him. "Which makes me wonder about what Tala told me after you left during our first fight. He let a few things slip, and I'm starting to wonder if they're really true or if he just said them to make me feel bad."

"Ray, what's wrong? I've never seen you like this before. It's like we picked your evil twin brother up at the village or something," Kai told him, sounding annoyed yet concerned.

"It's just that...," Ray's tone dropped and he sounded a little like his old self. "I've just been really hurt, that's all."

"Really hurt by..." Kai started, sounding concerned and worried it was he himself who'd hurt Ray.

"Never mind, it's not important," Ray told him. He dropped one of his blankets beside Kai, and walked over to the couch. "You guys don't have to freak out if I'm not here when you wake up in the morning. I'm not going to leave you here," he told Kai, turning his back on him.

"Thanks for the blanket," Kai said, Ray didn't answer.


	9. Russia

Kai woke to the smell of food and a stiff back from sleeping on the floor. He opened his eyes and sat up slowly, looking around. Tala was sitting up on the bed beside him with a tray full of breakfast, and Ray was nowhere to be seen. Kai let out a sigh and stood up, stretching. "Good morning," Tala said cheerfully, digging into his meal of bacon, eggs, toast, sausage, hash browns, and pancakes.

"Where's Ray?" Kai asked, sitting down beside him on the bed and looking at the food that looked really good to him at the moment.

"You just missed him. He came in and gave me this and then left," he told him. Kai let out a sigh.

"I'm going to go find him," he said, standing up and taking a piece of Tala's toast.

"Hey, get your own food!" Tala yelled reaching to grab the toast back, but Kai stepped away from him.

"I will, once I'm downstairs," he told him, walking over to the door.

"Kai, you're a jerk!" Tala yelled after him as the door closed.

Kai spent the next few hours eating breakfast, looking for Ray in the Inn, and around the small town. But his search came up empty. Either he was just missing Ray, or Ray wasn't even in the town anymore. So, around lunch time, Kai gave up his search and went back to the Inn for some lunch. When he was done eating he went back up to the room. When he got to the room the smell of food was coming out of it. He went to open the door, but as he reached for the door knob the door opened and someone walked into him. "Where are you going?" Kai asked as Ray backed away from him.

"For a walk," he told him, a faint blush on his face.

"You've been out for a walk all morning, haven't you?" Kai asked.

"And what if I have?" he asked.

"I think you should stay here for a while," he told him, walking towards Ray. Ray took a few steps backwards, and Kai closed the door behind him. "It would be more convenient for everyone if you stayed here, so when Tala's done you can show us to the airport," Kai told him. Ray didn't say anything. He just stared at Kai for a few seconds before turning and going to sit on the chair he'd slept in the night before.

"Well it's good to see you two getting along," Tala said a sarcastically. Kai gave him a little glare before walking over and sitting on the foot of his bed.

The trip to the airport was shorter than Kai and Tala had expected. It turned out that Ray had been out all morning looking for someone who could give them a ride there, not wanting Tala to push himself too far again. They got to the airport and went to look at the flight schedule. "I don't believe this," Ray said angrily looking up at the screen with all the fights. He had been planning on leaving Kai and Tala at the airport and use the BBA's money to catch a fight to Japan to go see Tyson, but according to the schedule they were all cancelled.

Ray went up to the ticket counter, Kai and Tala following close behind him. "Can you tell me when the flights to Japan will be going again?" Ray asked the man at the desk.

"We don't know for sure, it could be a few days. There's a bad storm going on over there and no one wants to risk trying to fly out," he told him.

"You can come back to Russia with us Ray!" Tala told him a little excitedly. It seemed to Kai that Tala and Ray had gotten a little closer during the time they spent together when he wasn't around.

"I don't know if I want to," Ray mumbled a little angrily, glancing at Kai.

"Please?" Tala asked. He was defiantly feeling better and acting like his usual self again. Ray opened his mouth to speak again, but Kai cut in front of him.

"You're coming with us," he told Ray, not giving him a choice in the matter. He pushed past him and asked the man for the earliest flights they could make to Russia, and handed him his card.

The tree boys got to Russia in a matter of hours. Tala seemed like the only one excited to be there though. When they got to the front of the airport he ran outside coatless, having given his to Ray, in the lightly falling snow. He stood there for a few seconds, breathing in the fresh air, and then turned to Ray who was taking his time going into the cold. "You know China is nice, but I missed this snow," he told him.

"How could you possibly miss this? It's freezing out here," Ray told him, zipping his coat up and hugging himself as Kai walked out a few seconds later with his coat open, acting like the cold was nothing.

"I called a cab, it should be here in a few minutes," he told Tala more than Ray.

"A few minutes, I'm not waiting out here for a few minutes," Ray said, and then turned to Tala. "Come tell me when it gets here," he told him, and then turned and went back into the air port.

There was a few seconds of silence, as Tala watched Ray go inside, before he spoke. "You know, I don't like being in the middle of your fight with Ray," he told him.

"You're the one who started it all," Kai told him a little bitterly. "I don't understand why he's not still mad at you."

"I know, I'm sorry," he told him, frowning slightly.

"Sorry isn't going to fix this. You have no idea how much this is killing me. How much I wish I could have just locked myself in a room alone for the past few days. How much effort it takes for me to just look at him, let alone say the few words I do to him," Kai told Tala, clenching his fists and looking away from him.

"Why don't you just tell him the truth then? That was the whole point of us going to see him, wasn't it?" Tala asked.

"I don't think I can. He won't listen to me if I do. He still thinks we just went out there to rub it in his face that you took his place on the Bladebreakers, and he's convinced that you and I are more than best friends," he told him.

"But we're not, why would he think that?" Tala asked completely confused.

"For the same reason Bryan thinks it," Kai told him, and Tala's expression dropped. Tala hadn't thought about Bryan since they got Japan and decided to leave to China. He'd been too occupied with dealing with Kai's problems with Ray to think about his own problems with Bryan. Helping Kai had been a way for him to hide from his problems and focus on other things.

"I don't think I want to go home anymore," Tala said in a mumble. "How about we go get a hotel room?"

"We're not going to avoid going home just because Bryan is mad," Kai told him a little angrily. "You made me go see Ray. You even wanted him to come with us. So you're facing Bryan."

"But Kai," Tala whined. "I'm sorry for all the crap I caused you. Don't make me go." Kai let out a sigh and stepped closer to Tala, putting him arms around him.

"We're going home," he told him in a mumble. "You can't spend the rest of your life hiding from him. It'll only hurt you more."

"I'm not the one hiding, he's hiding from me, remember? He's the one that wouldn't even say goodbye," Tala whispered, gripping the front of Kai's shirt.


	10. Fight

Tala looked up from where he was almost crying in Kai's shoulder. Ray was walking out of the airport, looking angry and a little hurt. "Shit," Tala said in a sharp whisper. Kai pushed him away slightly to look at him. Tala smiled weakly. "I'm sorry Kai, I screwed things up again," he told him, laughing nervously. Kai didn't understand what he meant though, not until the same angry Ray walked past the two of them.

"Hey, is this our cab?" he asked in an annoyed tone. Not even waiting for a response as he open the front door, got in, and slammed it shut. Tala looked away from Kai, turned and got quickly into the car, sliding over as far as he could go, so Kai could get in.

The car trip to the house was long and an extremely quiet one. The only talking that was done was by Kai at the end of the ride, so he could talk about cost to the driver. But Ray and Tala weren't there to hear it. Ray had gotten out of the cab as soon as it stopped, demanding Tala follow him so he could get into the warmth of the house and not get attacked by whoever was home.

When Kai was done talking to the driver, and the cost of the ride was paid, Kai got out of the car and went up to the house quickly. Tala and Ray hadn't been away from him for too long, so when he got to the house they'd just been let in moments earlier by an annoyed looking Spencer and a slightly relieved Ian. They were followed closely by an angry looking Bryan, who'd gotten there about the same time as Kai. "Where the hell did you do go?" he asked coldly, glaring at Tala as Kai closed the door and Ray took off the coat he was wearing, handing it back to Tala. "You told everyone you were going to that stupid little tournament in Japan, and then you just up and disappear on everyone, even the BBA!"

"Why do you care now? You didn't really seem to care where we were going when we left," Tala told him sternly, although Kai knew it was killing him inside to have Bryan angry again, and as soon as he was back too.

"And what's he doing here?" he asked, ignoring Tala's response to the other question.

"The flights to Japan are cancelled, so I told him he could stay here" he told him. "Aren't you glad we didn't go to Japan? We wouldn't be here right now if we had."

"I don't care if the flights were cancelled, he can stay at the airport! We don't need any more of your boyfriends running around this house!" Bryan snapped.

"I'm sorry, but the last time I checked I was the leader of this team! So either you accept my decisions or you get the hell off my team and out of this house!" Tala snapped back.

"Fine, you're a horrible team leader anyways! You leave us to join a different team, then you decided you don't want to be on any team and just disappear, and then you come back to us and bring members of other teams into our home!" he yelled, clenching his fists.

"Bryan, I never left this team! I went to enter a small tournament for fun, but Kai and I decided to go somewhere else last minute instead, not telling you where I was going wasn't my fault!" Tala told him almost desperately as Bryan turned and started back towards his room. "And Ray and Kai are my _friends_, they'd be your friends too if you weren't so awful to them!" But Bryan was already slamming his bedroom door. Tala stood there for a few seconds before glaring at Spencer and Ian. "What are you looking at? Welcome Kai and Ray and go find something else to do!" he yelled, pushing past them.

"You know he was worrying about you the whole time you were gone," Spencer told him.

"I highly doubt that," Tala mumbled angrily, going off to his own room.

The only actual loud sound in the house after that was the sound of the front door slamming shut a few minutes after. Then the house went into a long, quiet state. Ray still seemed angry with Kai, so Kai had only stuck around him long enough for him to feel comfortable around Spencer and Ian. When he was convinced the three of them would get along, and they were in the basement looking at the training equipment and blading, Kai had decided to go up to his room, like Tala.

When he entered the room he found a few letters on his bed, but they were all about the same thing. Tyson, Max, Kenny, and Mr. D telling him he had some explaining to do once he'd gotten home and read the letters, and then at the bottom of the pile was a letter from Ray. It was written in angry writing, and was about Tala taking his place on the team. This was the only letter Kai read over, although he didn't know why. It reminded him of everything that had happened since he'd gone outside that night and gotten the first letter from the post man, and tearing the letter up, along with the other ones, was the only thing he could do to keep from crying like that first night. Then, when all the letters were in tiny bits, he got off his bed, threw them in the garbage, and went to take a long needed hot shower.

Kai got out of the shower, dried off, and was instantly glad he'd decided to keep his towel on as he stepped into his room. Tala was sitting on his bed, head down and fidgeting with his own fingers. When he heard the door to Kai's bathroom open he looked up, frowning. His eyes were red and he looked like he was about to cry again. "I'm sorry," he said in an almost whisper. "I should have waited until I knew you were done getting dressed. But I just needed someone to talk to and be with. Usually go to Bryan but he's not here..." Tala spoke quickly and then trailed off, looking back down at his hands. Kai let out a soft sigh. He hated to see his best friend like this, and suddenly knew how Tala had felt when he was the one on that bed crying. Kai went over to the other side of the bed from where Tala was facing, and glanced back at him. Tala didn't turn around. Kai then went looking in his drawers for some boxers and a pair of pants.

When he was done putting them on he went and sat on the bed beside Tala, and Tala instantly rested his head on his shoulder. "Why do I always screw things up?" Tala asked, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "I screwed things up with me and Bryan, then with you and Ray, and then with me and Bryan again. If Ray finds out I'm here he'll probably start hating you more."

"Tala, I really don't care about Ray at the moment," Kai told him, putting an arm around his upper back and Tala moved a little closer. "And don't say he hates me."

"Sorry," Tala whispered, closing his eyes. There was a slight pause before Tala spoke again. "I think I should go to Ray about this," he said suddenly, opening his eyes.

"Why?" Kai asked, sounding slight hurt.

"Well, if I go to him about Bryan than he'll have to stop thinking you and I are together, right?" he asked, sounding a little hopeful.

"I guess so," Kai said a little hesitantly. Tala sat up and gave Kai a weak smile.

"I'll fix this. I swear I'll fix all of it this time," he told him, wrapping his arms around Kai for a hug.

"I hope you're right," Kai whispered, hugging Tala back, before letting him leave the room.


	11. Cooking

Kai stayed in his room and slept. He didn't want to wake up and face everyone again just yet, and when he did finally get out of bed and go down to the kitchen it was around lunch time the next day. Kai entered the kitchen to the smell of somebody cooking, and instantly knew it was Ray. No one else in the house could cook very well after all. They were always going out to get fast food to eat.

The kitchen was filled with pots and pans cooking different things. Ray was behind them all moving between the pots to stir something and between the pans to make sure something wasn't burning. Tala was sitting on a stool at the counter watching in amazement. Kai couldn't tell if it was amazement at how Ray was cooking or at the fact that they actually had all these cooking instruments. No one really went into the cupboards for anything besides cups and plates.

Tala and Ray were talking about something while Ray had his back turned to Tala concentrating on what he was doing. Kai only caught a little bit of the conversation before he came in, and it sounded like they were just talking about Ray's cooking skills and how the kitchen was never used. Kai walked over to Tala and took a seat beside him at the counter, Tala looked at him grinning. "You seem happier," Kai said, putting his head down. He heard Ray drop something like a spoon or spatula, and Kai looked over at him noticing he'd gone a little stiff. But he stayed quiet and with his back turned.

"I am a little happier. Mostly because Ray's cooking us something though," Tala told him. "Sorry for not going back to see you at all, I just went to bed after I talked to Ray, and then when I woke up it smelt good down here so I came to see what was going on." Kai raised an eyebrow at him, and he gave him a look that said they'd talk later.

"So where are the other two?" Kai asked, lifting his head slightly to look around for any trace of Spencer or Ian.

"They went out to see if they could talk Bryan into coming back," Tala told him, fidgeting nervously with his fingers on top of the counter.

"I'm sure he'd come back eventually even without them going after him. He likes telling you how horrible I am, when I'm around, too much to stay away for long," he told him, giving him a weak smile. Tala laughed, and Kai looked over at Ray.

"What are you making Ray?" he asked trying to make at least a little conversation, making Ray drop something again. He wanted to see what kind of attitude he had towards him now that Tala had talked to him. Plus he couldn't stand not talking to Ray when they were in the same room.

"I'm just cooking what I usually do for the Bladebreakers," he told him, still not turning around to look at him.

"Hn," Kai answered, earning a hit in the back of the head by Tala. Kai gave him a glare, and stood up to leave the room.

"Sometimes I wonder if he even likes what I make, or he just eats it to be polite," he heard Ray say as he turned the corner. Kai let out a sigh.

Tala stormed into Kai's room, after looking for him everywhere else in the house first, and slammed the door shut behind him. Kai just looked over at him from where he was laying on his bed thinking. "I think Bryan was right all those times he called you a horrible person," he said angrily, walking to the bed and standing over him.

"That's great, maybe now that you two finally agree Bryan will see he has a chance with you and won't be so miserable all the time," Kai told him a little sarcastically. Tala hit him on the arm. "What's with you and hitting me all of a sudden?" he asked, annoyed now.

"I finally got Ray to think he has a chance with you and you're screwing it up. He's going to think I lied to him again," Tala told him, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"How am I screwing it up?" he asked, sounding mildly interested.

"You asked him what he was making and then acted like you didn't care for the answer," he told him.

"I'm like that to everyone," Kai reminded him.

"Not to me," Tala reminded him.

"Hn," he replied.

"Don't you dare start this again!" Tala yelled, glaring intensely at him. "I don't like it when you reply like that, and neither does anyone else! You need to stop!"

"What if I can't?" Kai asked, his tone going bored.

"Then at least don't answer Ray like that!" he told him angrily, giving him another hit.

"You still haven't told me what exactly you talked to him about," he told him trying to change the topic, and it worked. Tala's expression turned happier and he grinned at Kai.

"I went and talked to him about Bryan and told him the truth about everything again, with Spencer and Ian there too, and he started to feel really bad about everything that happened and how he was acting towards you. So he made Spencer and Ian go out and find Bryan today, and promised them that meal he's making when they got back. He wanted to talk about you and me more after that and I told him we were just really close, best friends. He didn't believe it though, so I told him if he wanted I'd be that close to him too. He didn't really seem to want that, but he said he believed me after that. Then we talked about him for a bit, but you can ask him about that stuff yourself if you want to know. Anyways, he did tell me that he'd probably have been a very depressed person for a long time if I hadn't gone and set things straight," Tala told Kai this pretty quickly and excitedly, without taking many breaths. It would have been hard for Kai to understand if he wasn't use to it. "So I don't know if he's waiting for some opportunity to tell you he does like you, or if he's waiting for you to tell him because he's still not sure if I was telling the truth," he concluded, taking a deep breath. Kai stared at him for a few seconds before saying anything.

"So I guess it would be better if I talked him, and soon?" Kai asked a little hesitantly. "Where'd he sleep last night anyways?" Tala smirked a little.

"Why, You going to get him in his sleep? Because if you're planning on doing that I don't think it's a very good idea," he told him. Kai glared at him slightly, and he laughed. "He was staying in Bryan's room last night, but if he comes back he'll need a new place to sleep," he told him, giving him a wink. Kai turned a very light pink. He knew what Tala was implying, and it wasn't like he and Ray hadn't slept in the same bed before. Now it just seemed like it might be a little awkward after everything that happened. "Either that, or I can give him my room. We'll make him jealous by me sleeping with you," Tala told him. Kai shook his head. He didn't want jealousy getting Ray mad again.

"I'll figure something out," Kai told him.

Kai and Tala made their way down stairs together and back into the kitchen. Ray finished cooking and was now putting the food into their separate dishes. When Tala saw this he left Kai's side and went quickly over to Ray, offering to help. Kai didn't know if he should offer to help too or not, so he just chose to sit down and watch. Tala looked back at Kai a few seconds later, giving him a slight glare giving Kai a sinking feeling, and then turned back to talk to Ray about something that was too quiet for Kai to hear.

When Tala and Ray were done plating the food it was still just the three of them in the house. Tala was now staring at the door, and after five minutes he let out a sigh and helped Ray wrap up Spencer, Ian, and Bryan's food. Then they took their plates of food and headed past Kai towards the table. "Are you coming?" Tala asked Kai as he past. Kai let out a little sigh, reached across the counter for his plate, and then headed over to the table.

They sat there eating in silence for a few minutes. Kai sat at the end of the table away from where Tala and Ray were sitting together. He was really starting to get annoyed with the new friendship that had been born between them. They were fighting with each other only a few days before, and now they were acting like they were close friends. It didn't make any sense to Kai. He didn't get how they could be fighting one minute, and then the next minute act like it never happened just because Tala had fainted.

Kai was staring blankly at his food now, playing with it with his fork, and leaning his head against his free hand. There was the sound of a chair scrapping loudly and he jumped a little, looking up. Ray was now standing, picking his plate up. Then he looked over at Kai. "If you really don't like it that much you don't have to force yourself to eat it, someone else will. You can go out and get fast food," he said, turning his back to Kai and walking over to the kitchen.

"He doesn't even like fast food Ray," Tala told him giving him a frown, standing up and bringing his plate over to the kitchen too.

"Well he's a really picky eater than," Ray told him like he was just brushing it off.

"No I'm not," Kai said loud enough for the other two to hear. Ray glanced over at him.

"So you just don't like fast food or my cooking? Anything else is good for you?" he asked a little bitterly.

"I never once said I didn't like your cooking," Kai told him without looking at him. He was looking at the food on his plate, starting to eat now.

"He just has trouble expressing his feelings about things," Tala told Ray, making sure Kai could hear. But Kai ignored him and kept eating.

It was an hour later before the front door opened and Spencer, and Ian came in with Bryan in front of them. Tala, Ray, and Kai were sitting in the living room watching TV at this time. Kai was sitting alone on one of the single seats, Tala was sprawled out on the couch, and Ray was sitting cross legged on the floor. When Bryan walked into the house and saw this he instantly turned around and headed back towards the door, but Spencer and Ian stopped him. "You said they were gone," he growled at them.

"We had to say something to get you back here," Ian told him. "We told you, Tala didn't mean it when he said to get off the team and leave the house. You just pushed him a little too far."

"To hell he didn't mean it!" Bryan yelled. "He's wanted me off this team ever since we left the Abby and he got to start being with Kai more!"

"No he hasn't," Spencer told him. Bryan didn't say anything to this, he just glared.

"I made you guys something to eat, if you're hungry," Ray said loudly to break up the silence and change the subject.

"Thanks," Spencer said.

"Come on Bryan let's go eat some real food!" Ian said excitedly, running past him into the kitchen. Bryan turned and glared at the three boys in the living room before fallowing Ian with Spencer right behind him.

"He really hates me," Tala said quietly turning so his forehead was resting on his arms, hiding the fact that tears were coming out of his eyes.


	12. Subtle Confessions

Tala brought himself back to his senses well after Bryan and the others had finished eating and gone down to the basement. He told Ray that since he'd been in Bryan's room the night before, and Bryan was defiantly not going to want anyone in there with him, that he'd have to choose another room. Ray didn't like this idea much, but suggested sleeping with Tala. Tala had shook his head and told him that wouldn't be a good idea, because he moved around too much in the night. "Well I can just sleep on the couch," Ray suggested, ignoring that Kai was still in the room with them. "No one else would really want me in their room anyways." Tala glanced over at Kai, giving him a look of encouragement. Kai looked back over at him, and then at Ray.

"You can stay in my room," he told him, making Ray jump a little and acknowledge him finally.

"I wouldn't want to kick you out of your room," Ray told him. Tala continued to look at Kai, trying to get him to go farther.

"Who said you'd be kicking me out? We've slept in the same bed before," Kai reminded him, trying to keep his calm and cool exterior. But it was breaking down with Tala staring at him like he was, and with the thought of him and Ray sharing a bed again. A bed that was smaller than they usually shared in the hotels they'd stayed at.

"I-I...yeah I guess," Ray said. He felt it hard to stay angry with Kai at the moment, and like he couldn't reject the offer. After all Kai was right. They had slept in the same bed before without any problems. Besides that, the conversation he'd had with Tala was still running through his head, making him feel like this was an attempt by Kai to show that he did like him. Kai noticed a slight flush of pink on Ray's face before Ray looked away from him quickly and back at the TV.

"See, that was easy," Tala said happily, giving Kai a wink. Kai shook his head at him.

The night came quickly and the three boys ended up staying up long after the other three had gone to bed. Kai felt slightly on the outside during this time. Ray seemed only interested in talking to Tala, and Tala accepted this only addressing Kai once in a while. Kai would have left to bed early because of this, but every time he tried to leave Tala gave him a warning look and he instantly changed his mind. He and Tala both knew that Ray wouldn't come up to his room if he left before him, and he'd end up sleeping on the couch. So Tala was the first to decide he was tired and go to bed, smirking as he walked past Kai. "Grab him by the scruff, force him into a submissive state, and show him whose boss," Tala whispered as he walked past. Kai turned a slight pink and glared at Tala as he laughed and left the room.

Kai and Ray stayed in the living room watching TV, until the show that was on was over. Then Kai stood up, stretching and looking down at Ray who looked as if he was really concentrated on the commercial that was on the TV. Kai walked past him, picked up the remote from the coffee table, and turned the TV off making the room dark. "It's late, lets go," Kai said, putting the remote back down. Ray didn't say anything. He just stood up and fallowed Kai up to his room.

When they'd gotten there Kai waited until Ray was in before shutting the door and turning his small beside lamp on. It was then that Ray noticed the size of the bed and his stomach did a little twist. It didn't look big enough to hold both of them, but Ray trusted that Kai would figure out a way for it to. Kai went over to his closet, while Ray stood looking around the room, and grabbed a pair of underwear and Pyjama bottoms. He headed over to his bathroom, and when he was out again in his Pyjamas Ray was still standing in the middle of the room. "You can use the bathroom," Kai told Ray offhandedly, "And a pair of my pyjamas." Ray nodded, noticing the bathroom for the first time now that Kai had mentioned it, and took the pair of pyjama bottoms that Kai handed him before going into it.

He came out shortly after to a dark room and Kai already in bed facing the edge of the bed he was sleeping on. Ray let out a little sigh, dropping his clothes on the floor on the side of the bed he'd be sleeping on, and went over to it. He sat down on the edge, contemplating actually getting in. "Just get in and go to sleep, there's enough room," Kai's voice came from behind him. Ray obeyed, because he missed the feeling he use to get sleeping next to Kai. When he got in he instantly curled up, the feeling he use to get during tournaments coming back to him, only stronger because of how close Kai was to him this time. Sleep came to Kai and Ray slowly and there wasn't much movement to get comfortable. Neither of them wanted to move and accidently touch the other, and when they did end up falling asleep it was because they couldn't force themselves to stay awake any longer.

The hours passed by slowly and Kai soon found he was being wrenched awake by a dream about his past. He hadn't had a dream like it in a while, not since getting the letter from Ray, because his mind had been full of other things. That was also why, he thought, that he'd slept in longer than usual during his trip with Tala. But, now that his mind had time to relax and slack off a little, his old nightmares had started seeping back into his dreams. Kai took a deep breath and let out a sigh as he sat up to check the time.

It was four in the morning, way too early for anyone else in the house to be up yet, and Kai was deciding on whether he should try to get some more sleep or get up and go train or go for a walk. It only took him a few seconds to decide what he wanted to do, but before he could make himself move to do it he was stopped by a small noise coming from beside him. It was a very quiet sniff, as if whoever making it didn't want to be heard. But in the dark, small, and quiet room Kai could hear it well. He looked down at Ray and moved over slightly. He noticed Ray's breathing stop for a few seconds, as if he was trying to figure out if Kai had moved on his own or in his sleep. Kai stayed still and watched as Ray started breathing again, and then heard another sniff and the quiet sound of crying. He hesitated now. Ray was crying like he had when he'd gotten the letter from Ray. But Kai didn't know if he should do anything, and if he should do something he didn't know what it was.

When a few more minutes had passed and the crying continued Kai finally forced his hesitation aside. He put a hand on Ray's shoulder and shook him. Ray let out a moan, as if he'd just been woken up, but didn't turn to look up at Kai. "What do you want?" Ray asked in a half moan, his voice cracking slightly.

"Ray, what's wrong?" he asked in almost a whisper, not removing his hand from Ray's shoulder.

"Nothing, what are you talking about?" he asked in mumble, rolling so his face was towards his pillow more.

"I heard you crying, and I know you were because I cri- I can tell," Kai told him, saying the last part quickly. Ray was silent. "Ray, you need to talk about whatever this is about with someone," he told him, trying to sound stern yet concerned.

"I have talked about it with someone," Ray answered. "And how would you know I need to talk about it, and why do you even care?"

"Because I know what it feels like to keep feelings bottled up, and I felt a lot better once I talked to someone about it," Kai told him, giving his shoulder a slight squeeze.

"I have talked about it with someone," Ray repeated.

"Well, if things are still this bad than you didn't tell the right person. I told Tala about my problems, and things still kind of sting, but it's not as bad as it was. I was in as bad a state as you're in now," he told him, letting go of his shoulder finally.

Ray turned to look at Kai when he felt his hand and the heat from it leave him. Even in the darkness Kai could see that Ray's eyes were puffy and red, and there were small streak marks from where his tears had run down his face. Kai continued to look down at him and he slowly pushed himself up, leaning against the beds headboard. There was silence while Ray collected himself before he spoke. "If it still stings...than what was the point in talking about it with Tala?" he asked. Kai looked away from him and then spoke.

"Because it felt like he was taking some of the weight off. It still stinging just means he helped but wasn't the right person to tell," he told him this in a soft tone that Tala had only ever heard before this. Kai was never soft towards anyone one besides Tala. He was always stern, even cold, but he didn't want to be that way towards Ray anymore. He wanted Ray to see what he was like on the other side of the wall he'd built up. Ray looked at Kai for a few seconds and then took a deep breath.

"What's bothering me is that I've lost everything. I don't know if the fact that I've only just registered everything is making it ten times worse, but I feel like crap anyways," He told Kai, willing himself to be honest with him. "I've lost my home, friends, relatives, I feel like an idiot and a jerk, the person I like hates me, and his best friend is only acting nice towards be because he feels like a jerk for judging me and he wants my help with getting the guy he likes." Ray started off talking normally, and then slowly got faster. Once he'd started he didn't stop, or bother to try and filter the last two things out, and Kai hung on to every word Ray said until he burst into tears again.

Kai didn't hesitate this time. He didn't like to see Ray like this, and he was letting his first reactions control him. He put an arm in between Ray's neck and the headboard, resting it across his shoulders. When Ray didn't react to it, and just continued to sit, his knees brought up now, Kai squeezed his shoulder and pulled him a little closer to him. Ray didn't protest or try to stop him at all, and Kai's stomach did a little flip. They sat close together like that for a few minutes before Ray got himself under control again, but he didn't speak. He just wrapped his arms around his knees and rested his chin on them. "You shouldn't feel like an idiot or a jerk," Kai told him when he was sure Ray was fine to talk and listen again. "And all that other stuff you said isn't true at all." Kai knew exactly what Ray had been talking about, even though he didn't mention names. Ray just turned his head to rest his cheek on his knees and look at Kai.

"How is none of it true?" he asked, snapping at Kai without intension.

"For starters your home doesn't have to be the village. It can be anyplace that feels like a home to you. The 'friends' you lost were willing to leave you for such a small and stupid reason. So to me that says they weren't actually your friends. And you still have Tyson, Max, and everyone else who are your real friends. Plus your uncle left the village didn't he? So he's still around and I'm sure he'll be there for you. So you still have a relative out there," Kai told him starting to go down the list, and then skipping over one thing, saving it for last. "This guy's best friend isn't only nice to you because he feels bad and wants something from you. He's really starting to want to be your friend. Yeah he feels like a jerk for thinking you were bad news, but that's not why he's nice to you. He's nice to you because you're a great guy and he wants to be your friend." Kai paused for a few seconds and then looked at Ray. "And the guy that you like defiantly doesn't hate you. It would be impossible for him to hate you, or for anyone else to, even the people from your village, because you're too wonderful a person. And I know that up until now that guy was feeling the same as you in a way. That he likes you but thought you hated him." There was another pause.

"Are you sure about all that?" Ray asked, almost whispering.

"I'm completely sure," Kai told him and Ray gave him a weak smile, moving a little closer to him. "Does it still hurt enough to cry?" Kai asked him a little quieter. Rey shook his head.

"Does it still sting?" he asked.

"No," Kai answered.

* * *

**"Grab him by the scruff, force him into a submissive state, and show him whose boss.**" **Credit for this line gose to my friend J-9 (RaverFreak) for saying this while talking to her brother on the phone about her misbehaving cat.**


	13. Bryan

Kai had fallen asleep again, without knowing it at the time. He only realized he'd drifted off when he was waking up again. Kai didn't open his eyes. He just laid there. He felt comfortable and warm. There was something on top his left arm making it feel numb and difficult to move. His right arm was draped over something that was soft like skin and moving up and down underneath it, as if his arm was on something breathing. He could feel something pushed up against him and breathing evenly on his chest. His face was in soft hair, and he breathed in the scent of the shampoo he always used. Kai thought it felt nice to lie like this. He wanted to wake up like this every morning. He opened his eyes to slits now, lifting his face from the hair he could see how bright the room was. He opened his eyes fully and blinked, allowing his them to go into focus. He could now see the long, black, hair close to him, and a small smile crossed his face, but if left quickly.

He now felt awkward. He and Ray hadn't planned on ending up like this. In fact Kai had been planning on leaving for a walk after he'd talked to Ray. But instead they'd both fallen asleep again. Ray wrapped in his arms and pushed against him sleeping peacefully. Kai hesitated in moving. He didn't want to wreak Ray's peaceful sleep, and he was scared of what he'd do if he woke up and realized they were like this. He knew Ray would be happy like he had been, but he also feared that it might become awkward for him too, neither of them having confessed anything directly.

There was a knock at the door and Tala called out Kai and Ray's names. Kai felt Ray begin to stir. He wanted to tell Tala to be quiet and go away, but he was scared that if he spoke he would wake Ray. There was another knock, and Kai saw the door start to open. "It's almost lunch time, why the hell aren't you two up yet?" Tala asked, peaking into the room. Ray let out a quiet groan and moved again pushing his self more against Kai. Kai looked up at Tala, glaring slightly. Tala stared at him for a few seconds. "Oh, I get it," he said, smirking. "But you're going to have to get up sooner or later. So I'm sorry about this, Kai." Kai was about to ask what he was sorry about, having a feeling it wasn't for coming into his room. But before he could ask, Tala had turned and slammed the door behind him. Ray jumped, and Kai looked down just in time to see his eyes pop open.

The next few seconds seemed to last forever to Kai. He was stiff and didn't know what to do as Ray just lay there, blinking at his chest. Then a blush crossed Ray's face and he looked up, catching Kai's eyes before Kai looked away blushing lightly. Ray cleared his throat. "So, uh, I thought I heard someone say it was almost lunch?" he said, making it sound more like a question. Kai nodded. "Well I guess it would be a good idea to get up than..." he trailed off. And when Kai didn't move Ray cleared his throat. At that Kai instantly removed the arm that was on top of Ray, and Ray sat up, moving off of Kai's other arm. There was a short pause.

"You can use the bathroom first," Kai managed to say as he sat up too. Ray nodded and got quickly off the bed, grabbing his things off the floor and heading into the bathroom.

Kai went into the bathroom after Ray, and came back out to an empty room. He let out a soft sigh and made his bed quickly before heading downstairs to the kitchen where it sounded, and smelt, like someone was cooking. Tala and Ray were in the kitchen, like they had been before. Ray was cooking everyone a meal, and Tala was sitting on a stool, watching. "So, did you have a good sleep?" Kai heard Tala ask Ray. He could picture the smirk on Tala's face, and heard Ray drop something.

"You know, you didn't have to cook for us Ray. If these guys are hungry they can have go out and buy something," Kai said, changing the subject as he entered the room and sat beside Tala.

"Eating fast food all the time isn't healthy," Ray told him, seeming slightly less concerned about him being there than he had the day before.

"I know, but if you keep making them fancy big meals they're going to start taking advantage of you and try to get you to make them snacks and things too," he told him.

"Hey, that's not a bad idea!" Tala yelled excitedly. "Ray, do you know how to bake?" he asked, earning a hit on the back of the head from Kai. "Ouch! I was only kidding!" Tala whined, rubbing his head. Ray let out a sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Even if they did ask I wouldn't do it," he told Kai, starting to plate some of the food he'd made.

"Yes you would," Kai said. "I know you. You'd say yes to be nice."

"I would not," Ray said, turning around and handing Tala and Kai each a plate of food before getting his own. He came around to the side of the counter they were on, with the stools, and sat down.

"Hey Ray, can you get us some drinks?" Tala asked as he stared at his food and ate.

"Yeah, sure," Ray answered, getting off his stool and going to the cupboards. He grabbed two glasses and filled them with milk. He put the milk back in the fridge and handed them to Tala and Kai. Kai raised his eyebrow at Ray as he put his glass down. A slight blush crossed his face, and Kai smirked at him. "Shut up," Ray said in almost a whine going back to his seat as Kai let out a chuckle.

After Kai, Ray, and Tala were done eating their lunch Ray and Tala went into the living room to watch some TV. They asked Kai if he'd go tell the other three boys, who were in the basement training, that lunch was ready. Tala was still upset about Bryan and didn't know what would happen if he went near him, and was too scared that it would be something bad. Ray, on the other hand, would have gone if it wasn't for the fact that Tala said he needed to talk to him about something. So Kai was left with the task of going to talk to the other boys. He made his way downstairs, and when he got there saw that Bryan, Spencer, and Ian were at the beystadium all blading at the same time. Kai called out to them, and as Spencer and Ian turned to look at him Bryan knocked both their blades out of the dish. "What do you want?" Bryan asked him once Kai was beside the dish.

"There's lunch upstairs if you want it," he said more to Spencer and Ian than to Bryan.

"Did Ray make it? His food was so good last night," Ian said a little excitedly. Kai nodded, and Ian jumped off the stadium platform leaving his blade and launcher behind. Spencer followed quickly after Ian, and when they were both at the stairs Kai started to follow.

"Kai, I need to talk to you," Bryan's voice came forcefully from behind him. Kai stopped in his tracks and turned to Bryan.

"What?" he asked impatiently, glaring at the boy. He didn't know what Bryan could possibly need to talk to him about after only yelling at him for months, calling him a horrible person, and telling him to stay away from Tala. Kai could only guess that Bryan felt that he hadn't done it in a while and needed to do it again just to remind him, and if this was the case Kai was going to walk away. He didn't care about what Bryan had to say about him, and he wasn't going to stand around and just let him say horrible things.

Bryan got off the beystadium platform and walked over to Kai. There wasn't a glare or any other anger on his face. If anything he looked slightly concerned. He stopped in front of Kai and was silent for a few seconds, as if collecting his thoughts, before he spoke. "I want to talk to you about Tala," he told Kai, his voice soft, maybe even a little hurt. Unlike the other times he'd wanted to talk to talk about him. But Kai took no notice in this. His memories of their other conversations were too fresh in his mind to think anything other than that Bryan was going to tell him to back off.

"You've talked to me about Tala many times already. I get it Bryan. You think I'm bad for Tala and you want me to stay away from him. But I don't care what you to think about me or what you want me to do. If I haven't listened to you and done what you said the first ten times I'm not going to do it now," Kai spoke in an angry tone. His expression was full of annoyance and anger, and he turned away from Bryan, heading towards the stairs.

"Kai, this has nothing to do with you!" Bryan yelled angrily, gripping Kai's shoulder, making him stop in his tracks. "I was out of line when I said those things before. I was...I am jealous, ok? There, are you happy? I admitted it. I'm jealous of how close you and Tala are, and saying those things and acting the way I did didn't help me get any closer to him." There was a pause in Bryan's explanation where he let go of Kai's shoulder and let his hand drop to his side. He looked sad, he was crying out for help. "I thought that if I said things about you that even I didn't believe that maybe Tala would, and he'd move away from you and closer to me. But the complete opposite happened. And then you two came home with Ray, and even from one glance I could see he was closer to Ray than he was to me, even though he hadn't known him for long, and my jealousy grew. I said even worse things about all three of you, but I was hurt. And now Tala hates me and I have no idea what to do. I just wanted to be closer to him, but I tried to get there in the wrong way. I just...want to fix things."

Kai turned to Bryan with a softer expression than he had looking at him before. "Tala doesn't hate you. He thinks you hate him," was all he said before turning and heading for the stairs again. He stopped at the bottom of them, hesitating for a few seconds before looking back at the boy behind him who was just standing there staring. "You really hurt Tala, and I don't know if I can forgive you for that. Not until you fix things between you two anyways. All you have to do is talk to him. He does want to be with you, he's just scared to approach you. So you need to approach him first," he told him, heading up the stairs and into the living room.


	14. Movie

Kai, Tala, and Ray sat in the living room watching TV. Kai was on the couch, Tala on the armchair, and Ray was laying on the floor. They could hear the sound of the other three boys in the kitchen, and dining room, getting their food and sitting down to eat and talk. In the living room there was no talking, and it was a little awkward, though. Tala had apparently been bugging Ray more about his sleep while Kai had been gone. Kai had heard a comment about it come from Tala just before he walked in the room and saw Tala grinning and Ray red in the face. Kai and Ray still hadn't talked about what had happened that night, or when they woke up, and Kai defiantly didn't want to talk about it while Tala was around to bug them. So they stayed silent, Tala too scared to start a conversation feeling the slight annoyance coming from the two boys.

Soon they could hear the sound of clanking dishes coming from the kitchen again, and knew that the other boys were now cleaning up after eating. When the sound of dishes stopped the voices died away, and Kai let out a sigh. It seemed like Bryan wouldn't be coming to talk to Tala just yet. But he was proven wrong when Bryan walked into the living room a second later. Kai, Ray, and Tala looked over to him from where they were staring at the TV, and he seemed to freeze a little. When he didn't say anything, and just continued to stand there, Kai spoke up. "What do you want?" he asked Bryan. This seemed to jerk him back to his senses because he blinked a few times and looked over at Kai, and then at Tala.

"I need to talk to you," he said, looking him in the eyes.

"About what?" Tala asked hesitantly, biting his lip a little.

"I just need to talk to you," Bryan told him, a slight annoyance in his voice. "Come with me." Tala sat there frozen, staring at him for a few second before looking over at Kai. Kai just nodded and turned his attention back to the TV. Tala uncurled himself from the ball he'd been sitting in on the arm chair, and stood up, Ray watching as he walked over to Bryan and they left the room.

Ray continued to look out of the door where Tala and Bryan had disappeared while Kai kept his attention on the TV. Ray waited a few seconds before moving so he could look at Kai. "Did you say something to Bryan?" he asked him, looking at him suspiciously. Kai shrugged.

"Maybe," he told him. "Maybe I did to help him with his problem since he helped me with mine."

"What was your problem?" Ray asked, although he was pretty sure he already knew what it was. He moved so his back was against the couch, and he was sitting by Kai's head, looking at him.

"You being mad at me for things that weren't true," he told him, looking away from the TV and at him now.

"What if I'm actually still mad at you?" he asked. "Then you did it for no reason." Kai gave a little chuckle.

"No, then I did it because he's my best friend and I want him to be happy," he told him. "And if you're still mad at me I think you should just sleep on the couch the rest of the time you're here, so what happened when we woke up this morning doesn't happen again." Ray blushed, looking away from Kai.

"Well it's a good thing I'm not still mad at you than, because I don't really want to sleep on the couch," he told him, and then mumbled. "And I liked how we woke up this morning."

Kai's couldn't help but smile at what Ray mumbled. It was defiantly awkward that morning, waking up like they did, and Kai had been doubting that Ray was having a good reaction to it after he'd found his room empty without Ray really saying anything to him before he left. "That's good, because I liked it too and was a little afraid it wouldn't happen again," he told him, sliding down the couch a little so his head was even closer to Ray. Ray looked up at him, flinching away a little surprised at how close Kai's face had gotten but he moved back quickly, and then even a little closer.

"Why did you think it wouldn't happen again?" he asked, turning so he was facing Kai more.

"Because we didn't really...well it was kind of awkward when we woke up," he reminded him.

"I guess that's true," Ray said as he moved closer to Kai, so that Kai shivered a little when his breath touched his face.

"Ray," Kai practically whispered. "You know I really like you, right? And that I'd never be able to like Tala the way I like you, because I can only think of him as a friend?"

"I know that now," Ray said quietly back, closing the gap between their lips.

The two boys looked up when they heard footsteps coming into the living room a few minutes later. They say Tala standing in the door way, alone, but with a smile on that went from ear to ear. He looked at Kai and Ray who were sitting on the couch together, Kai with his arms around Ray's waist while he sat in his lap leaning against him. Tala didn't seem to find anything strange about this though, because he just walked back over to his armchair, sitting down and taking a few deep breaths. Kai and Ray watched him, waiting for him to talk first. He looked up at them, his smile still on, although slightly smaller now. "Bryan apologized to me for being a jerk, and he told me that he really liked me! And he asked if I'd date him! And I said yes, of course!" Tala told them happily, before adding, "And I also see you two have gotten closer," with a smirk. Kai and Ray just smiled at his comment, ignoring the smirk. "I just don't know what got into Bryan. He was completely nice about it the whole time too. Usually he can't go for more than a few seconds before getting angry," he told them.

"Kai talked to him for you," Ray told him. Tala went a little wide-eyed.

"You really got him to talk to you about it?" he asked Kai.

"Well, he kind of brought it up himself," Kai told him. Tala's smile grew wide again.

"I'd hug you right now if you weren't busy holding your boyfriend," he told him. A light blush crossed Kai's face, and Ray laughed.

"I could move for you," he told him. Tala shook his head and brought his feet up, making himself into a comfortable ball again to watch TV.

Dinner that night was the first meal all six boys could eat together. Ray had cooked for them all again, Kai protesting up until Ray was halfway done cooking and then deciding he might as well help him if he wasn't going to listen. Kai set the table while Ray dished out the food. Tala had left them earlier, after one show on the TV, to go downstairs and train with Bryan, Spencer, and Ian, and hadn't come back at all since. Kai finished putting the cutlery on the table, and then helped to put the plates of food out just as everyone was starting to come upstairs. That's when Kai noticed a problem. There were only enough chairs at the table for five people. They'd never had more than that eating at one time because they'd never had any guests over, Kai was even a little surprised that the group had decided to keep his space at the table after so long. Kai put the last plate that would fit on the table down, thinking for a moment. Then he turned and took the plate Ray was bringing over out of his hands and brought it over to the counter. He was glad they had a place with barstools in the kitchen where people could eat. "Kai, what are you doing?" Ray asked staring at him with crossed arms. Kai turned around on the stool to face him.

"There isn't enough room in there for everyone," he told him plainly. Ray turned and looked at the table Kai was looking, where the other boys were now seated.

Ian was poking at his food with a fork averting his eyes from Bryan and Tala, who were sitting together both looking happy and Tala laughing for some reason, and occasionally glancing up at Spencer, who wasn't paying attention to anyone or anything. Ian looked away from Spencer and over towards Ray. When he noticed Ray, and even Kai, had been looking at him he turned a slight pink and stared down at his food. Ray let out a little sigh and picked up the plate at the only empty spot left at the table. "What, you don't want to sit with us?" Bryan asked, sounding slightly annoy.

"I just don't want Kai eating alone," he told him, turning and putting his plate down at the place beside Kai's. Bryan and Ian watched the two of them for a few seconds before Bryan went back to paying attention to Tala, and Ian went back to glancing at everyone else.

After dinner Spencer, Bryan, and Tala took the task of cleaning everything up. Kai stuck around the kitchen, sitting on his stool and talking to the boys while Ray and Ian disappeared together. No one seemed to notice them leave though, and by the time the dishes were done they were back, so no one really had any time to notice. Tala took the last glass out of the sink and handed to Bryan to dry, than he dried his hands off and turned to the other three boys. "We should watch a movie," he said. Everyone agreed to this idea. He smiled and went over to the other side of the counter, grabbing Kai's wrist. "Come on, let's go pick one!" he said excitedly, dragging Kai out of the kitchen and leaving everyone else behind.

Tala dragged Kai into the living room and over to the movie self. He let go of his wrist and scanned the movies quickly before pulling one out and showing it to Kai. "What if the others don't want to watch it?" he asked him. Tala shrugged.

"They didn't follow us to help pick one, so they don't have a choice now," he told him, sticking a James Bond movie into the DVD player and setting it up so it was ready to play when everyone got there. Kai let out a sigh turning to go to the couch to sit down, but after a few steps he felt a tug on his wrist again. He turned and gave Tala a questioning look. "Where are you going?" Tala asked. "We always sit on the armchair when we watch movies."

"Why don't you get Bryan to sit with you?" Kai asked him.

"Because you always sit with me," he reminded him.

"What if I want to sit with Ray this time?" he asked.

"But we always sit together during movies," he repeated.

"That's because we only have enough seats for four people, but if you sit with Bryan and I sit with Ray than there will be enough room," Kai told him.

"I want to sit with you though. I always sit with you," Tala told him with a frown. Kai took a deep breath and let out s sigh.

"Fine," he said grabbing the DVD controller and sitting down on the armchair, Tala smiling, sitting sideways on his lap, and leaning back on the armrest.

Ray, Bryan, Ian, and Spencer walked into the room a few seconds later, Spencer, Ian, and Bryan glancing at Kai and Tala for a few seconds, and then going over to sit on the couch as Kai hit play. Ray, however, continued to stare at Kai and Tala in confusion. "They always sit like that during movies," Bryan informed Ray after no one else seemed to want to give him an explanation.

"Doesn't it...make you mad?" Ray asked him cautiously, not really wanting to set him off.

"It use to, but after today it'll probably just annoy me," Bryan told him, saying the last two words a little loudly. Tala looked over at him and stuck his tongue out, grinning after. Bryan let out an annoyed sigh.

"Just ignore them and come sit down, there's room," Spencer told Ray.

"Where?" Ray asked him, and Spencer picked up Ian with what looked like a lot of ease.

"Hey! Put me down! What the hell are you doing?" Ian yelled.

"Shut up," Spencer said, placing the boy in his lap. Ian blushed and went quiet instantly. Ray went and sat down in Ian's former spot, giving him a slight smirk. Ian glared at him quickly, and then went back to watching the movie.


	15. Japan?

Although the movie was interesting and Ray had never seen it before, he couldn't enjoy it at all. He found himself drifting away from it and staring at Kai and Tala more than he was watching the movie. He couldn't understand how Bryan could enjoy watching a movie with his boyfriend sitting in someone else's lap, especially the lap of someone he'd hated and was jealous of only a few hours before. So by the end of the movie Ray found himself to be the only person who hadn't enjoyed it, and the only person that had no idea what it was even about. All he'd caught from the few minutes he'd actually watched was what seemed to be a sex scene and a few explosions, and he had no idea how they even tied together.

When the credits started running Bryan got up quickly and turned on the lights making everyone groan and shield their eyes. Tala sat in Kai's lap for a few seconds after the lights turned on, rubbing his eyes, before hitting the eject button on the DVD remote and getting up. He put the DVD away, turned off the machine and TV, and went over to Bryan who was staring at him and making a gesture for him to come over. Tala went over hesitantly, thinking Bryan might be mad at him. When he got there Bryan whispered something in his ear, Tala blushed, smiling and nodded his head. He then turned to the others, saying goodnight to them, and he and Bryan went off in the direction of their rooms.

Kai stayed sitting until Tala, Bryan, Ian, and Spencer had left the room. When they were gone he stood up stretching and looked over at Ray who was still sitting on the couch, looking down at the floor. Kai walked over to him, and Ray looked up. "I think Tala's room is going to be empty tonight if you don't want to stay with me," he told him, making Ray's expression turn a little annoyed.

"Do you not want me to stay with you?" he asked him.

"I didn't say that. I just thought you might like your own bed," he told him.

"And why would you think that?" he asked, his tone getting annoyed now too.

"Because my beds small, so there isn't much room for both of us..." Kai told him, trailing off at the end.

"Well I'm fine with sleeping in your bed with you, but maybe it's you that needs the extra room?" he asked.

"No it's fine. I just...Never mind I don't even know why I brought this up," Kai said shaking his head.

"Yeah, I don't know why you did either," Ray mumbled.

"So, do you want to head to bed?" Kai asked, holding out his hand to Ray.

"Yeah, sure," he said, ignoring Kai's hand, standing up, and leading the way to his room. Kai let out a sigh and fallowed.

Kai sat up in bed thinking as he waited for Ray to get out of the bathroom. Ray opened the door and came out in a pair of Kai's PJ bottoms, headed over to Kai's bed, and tossed his clothes on the floor. Kai looked up at him with slight worry on his face. "Are you mad at me?" he asked. Ray looked at Kai with slight confusion at the sudden, random, question.

"Why would you think that?" he asked.

"Because I basically told you to go sleep in Tala's room...and you kept looking over at me and Tala during the movie," he told him, looking away from him and down at his hands now. "It wasn't my idea to have him sit with me. I told him I wanted to sit with you."

"Kai I understand, Tala's just...really clingy to you and it bothers me a little," he told him frowning slightly.

"Well I can't just tell him to stop. He's been my best friend since we were little. We've been through a lot together and being clingy like that is an old habit from the Abby he can't seem to get rid of. I think he's scared of loosing me," Kai told him with a sigh.

"Can't you get him to tone it down a little? I'm sure Bryan will help. He probably wants to sit with him during movies and stuff," he said a little hopefully.

"I guess we could try and get his habit under control a little," he agreed, looking back up at him. Ray smiled.

"Thank you," he said, moving closer and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Good night Kai," he whispered in his ear, and then turned his back to him and laid down. A small smile crossed Kai's face.

"Good night Ray," he said, turning his back to Ray, turning the bedside light off, and laying down as well.

Kai awoke the next morning in the same position around Ray as the morning before. He was woken in almost the same way too, Tala knocking on the door loudly and then entering, only this time Ray woke with him and it was earlier. Kai sat up with a groan rubbing his eyes while Ray yawned and stretched. "What is it Tala?" Kai asked, looking over at the boy who was now sitting on his bed.

"Well the phone rang a few minutes ago and it was in Bryan's room, so it woke us up. I told him not to answer and to just ignore it because if he moved to get it then I'd have to move too and I was comfy. But he got up and answered it anyways because after it finished ringing it started to ring again and it was really annoying him. But anyways, when he answered and finished talking he told me to come tell you guys about the call because guess who it was," Tala said, speaking a little quickly. Ray opened his mouth to answer, but Kai cut in front of him.

"We don't know, who?" he asked.

"It was your friends Tyson and Max and they said that they want you to go over to Japan and meet them because the storm is over and they're letting plains through and they want to talk," Tala told them. Kai let out a groan, falling back into bed.

"I don't want to go all the way over there to see them. They can come here," Kai said, staring up at the ceiling.

"But Kai, it's already crowded here. Why can't we go down there for a few days?" Ray asked him, sounding a little disappointed.

"Yeah, I want to go to Japan," Tala told him.

"Well you can't, they didn't ask for you to come they asked for me and Kai," Ray told him in a sort of annoyed tone.

"He can come if he wants, and Bryan can come too. I think I'd want to go more if they came anyways. Tyson has lots of room at his house for all of us, and if Tala and Bryan don't want to stay there there's always the mansion I inherited from my grandfather," Kai told him sitting back up.

"What about Ian and Spencer?" Ray asked.

"They can stay here. They don't usually leave here much anyways and they don't spend much time with Bryan when it's just me and Tala gone somewhere. So it'll be fine," he told him. Ray let out a sight of defeat.

"Fine than, they can come," Ray said in a defeated tone.

"Yes!" Tala yelled jumping up from the bed happily. "I'll go tell Bryan and we'll start packing! They want you two down there as soon as you can get there!" he told them, running out of the room. Kai let out a sigh, pulling the blankets off and getting out of bed.

"It looks like we're going to Japan," he said grabbing some fresh clothes from a drawer and heading to the bathroom, tuning to look at Ray when he got to the door. "Which means they want to talk to us, which also means that they want to know everything that's happened between the time I said I was to enter the tournament to when we actually get there." Ray's expression dropped.

"I don't think I want to tell them everything," he told him.

"Well you're going to have to, you know how good Max is at telling if you're lying, and he'll be hurt if you do try to lie," he said, turning and closing the bathroom door behind him as Ray fell back onto the bed with a groan.

* * *

**Hey! I'm back! Yay! Did you miss me?**

**So I guess I should tell you why I haven't updated in a while...I spent some of the time at first just hanging out with friends and having summer fun. Then I had gotten busy at the end of July because of this Fair/Amusementpark thing that comes to my city every year for 10 days, and I decided I wanted to work there for some extra money. Now I needed the money because, 1. I'm going to the Harry Potter Hogwarts amusement park in November (Just a heads up so you know that if this story is still going I wont be updating much in Nov), and 2. (The other reason I haven't updated in a while) I went to a 3 day long anime convention in my city the first weekend of August (which happened 5 days after the 10 days I worked) and I needed the money for plushies at the convention :).  
So after working those 10 days, resting up for the anime convention for 5, and going to the convention for 3 my friends wanted to have some more summer fun, and my parents wanted to spend their summer week off with me. Then I spent 2 days writing for my other story, and took a few days break to get some ideas for this story but before I could get to writing it my friends decided they wanted to have more summer fun, so I didn't get to this until these past 2 days.  
Some other reasons I've been neglecting to update is because I'm the editor for mine and my friends videos on youtube so I had to edit our videos of the anime convention and one other thing, which took quite a while, I've been busy coloring pictures my friends draw because they can't color on their own digitaly, I just got the old Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix wii game, I've been having sudden urges to play Mario Cart wii, and I was spending a little more time on my DeviantArt account than I usually do. **

**I'm expecting my life to be a little busier than past years because it's my last year of high school, and my friends and I are going to be making and posting some more youtube videos. But I should be free to write as much as I want when I'm at home because I have mostly Spare blocks to do homework and only 4 Core Subjects this year at school. So I should still be updating fast from now on, but if I'm not its because of something in school or I'm working on a youtube video.**

**But I'll probably post again soon since school is just starting! I just have to get back into the groove of writing and posting on time for 2 stories :)**

**Anyways! Thanks for being patiant, thanks for reading this chapter, thanks for reading all this, and if you have time check out mine and my friends youtube account: AssassinNinjaSquad**


	16. Mansion

The plane ride to Japan was a quiet one. Everyone was sleeping because Kai had decided to get to the airport early, waking everyone up in about the middle of the night. Spencer and Ian had even gotten up to see them off quickly and then go back to bed. But now they were in the airport again, the same one Tala and Kai had landed in before Kai decided to go to China, yawning and dragging their bags behind them and out the doors where a car was waiting for them. Kai had called Mr. Dickenson before they got on the plane to tell him they were leaving, and he had arranged for a limo to have them picked up. The four boys dropped their bags beside the limo letting the man driving put them away as they climbed in. Bryan and Tala sat on one side of the limo, Bryan sitting close to the window to lean on it while Tala leaned against him, resting his head against his shoulder and falling asleep almost instantly. Kai and Ray sat on the other side, closer to the door they got in through, Kai leaning against the window like Bryan and Ray falling asleep on Kai's shoulder like Tala.

The limo pulled up to a mansion, as Kai had directed the driver to do, two hours later. The back door to the limo opened, waking everyone up with the light. Tala let out a groan rubbing his eyes and Bryan just stretched as Kai and Ray got out of the limo, fallowed slowly by the other two. When they were all out Tala and Bryan grabbed their bags, and Kai showed everyone up to the mansion. He unlocked the door, and let them in, locking it behind them. He then showed them to the closest rooms that Tala and Bryan could stay in and they left their bags in the same room before Kai showed them to the kitchen, although he didn't think they'd need the kitchen much, since they were only coming to the mansion to sleep. Kai had told Tala and Bryan, while Ray was getting ready in the morning, that even though there was room in the dojo for them he wanted them to stay in the mansion as a favour to him, telling them the truth about how Ray felt about them coming. They agreed without an argument, and Bryan even seemed to like the idea of being alone with Tala in the mansion every night better than sleeping in the dojo with everyone.

After Kai finished his small tour of the mansion, which wasn't even a sixth of the place, the four boys got back into the limo and headed for Tyson's dojo, falling back asleep on the way there. And an hour later, although it seemed like only a few minutes to the sleeping boys, they were at the dojo and once again getting out of the limo feeling as if they hadn't slept very much at all. They climbed out one by one, Kai and Ray grabbing their bags, and then headed through the dojo's gate, the limo driving away as soon as they were inside them.

At almost the exact moment the four boys got to the dojo's doors they flew open. Tyson's grandpa stood in the door way staring at them intensely for a few seconds before smiling at them. "Hey dudes, long time no see!" he said laughing. "It feels like we've been waiting for you dogs to get here for years!" He turned and looked back into the room behind him. "Yo, little dudes, your homeboys are here!" he yelled and then left towards the house as the sound of running feet entered the air. A few seconds later Max was shooting out of the door and wrapping his arms around Ray pulling him into a hug as Tyson came out close behind him, a grin on his face.

"Ray! Kai! I missed you guys! What happened to you?" Max asked hugging Ray for a few more seconds before letting go and standing beside Tyson, ignoring the fact that Tala and Bryan were standing behind his friends for a moment. Ray laughed.

"We missed you too Maxie," he said grinning, and then looked at Tyson. "And of course we missed Tyson too."

"Actually, missing a pig like Tyson is an iffy thing for me," Kai told them, smirking slightly. Tyson glared at Kai.

"Still Mr. Sourpuss even after running away from everyone I see," Tyson said. "I was kind of hoping you'd gotten into some near death situation that changed your attitude."

"Hn," Kai replied looking away from Tyson.

"Anyways," Max said loudly, giving both Kai and Tyson stern looks. "You guys didn't tell us you were bringing Tala and Bryan over."

Tyson looked over Kai's shoulder staring at Tala and Bryan as if he hadn't even noticed them standing there. He then looked over at Max, then to Ray, back to Kai, and then back to Tala and Bryan. "They're not sleeping here too are they?" he asked finally, as if it was the only thing he could think to say. Everyone stared at Tyson, until finally Kai answered him.

"No," was all he said, a voice behind him speaking to expand on his no.

"We're staying at Kai's giant mansion! So we'll only be here if we don't get lost in it!" Tala said excitedly. Tyson and Max raised their eyebrows and looked from Tala to Kai.

"Since when do you have a mansion here?" Tyson asked him. "And why don't you stay there instead of here when you come over, seeing as you never seemed to like staying here."

"Kai doesn't seem to like staying anywhere," Bryan spoke up, earning an icy glare from Kai, before he looked at Tyson.

"It was my grandfathers, so I've had it for a while now and don't like to stay in it. Not that that's any of your business, but I'd rather not have you pestering me," Kai told Tyson coldly with the same icy look he gave Bryan. Tyson looked right back at Kai's icy look glaring angrily, everyone staring at them and Tala frowning a little, being the only one who knew how touchy Kai was on the subject of his grandfather, and anything related to him, and knowing exactly how he was feeling in that moment.

"Hey guys," Rei cut into the silence that was now getting awkward. "Why haven't we gone into the dojo yet? I'm sure it would be much better to have a conversation in there instead of out here where everyone can hear us." Max nodded, trying to help with the situation.

"Yeah, Tyson I think Kai and Rei would prefer to tell us what happened in a more private place anyways," he told him, Rei letting out a groan to himself. Tyson peeled his eyes from Kai and looked over at Rei and Max, his smile coming back on.

"Of course," he said laughing and scratching the back of his head. "I do want to know what happened...So fallow me!" he ordered turning and going back into to dojo. He waited for the other boys to get in, and then closed the door, going to start a sitting circle.

"Well this is going to be fun," Rei mumbled sarcastically to Kai as they sat down beside each other, dreading having to tell his story.


	17. The Story

_It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. It was very hot out, but there was also a light breeze that made the heat just bearable. I was teaching the little ones how to beyblade at the beystadium we'd made out of rocks for when we wanted to train. I could tell the kids had been training hard when we were too busy to help them because they were finally lasting more than a few seconds against Lee and I in the dish, and their launches were no longer crooked._..

"This story is so boring!" Tyson yelled out finally at Ray, who'd decided to go through the trouble of telling every little detail he could in hopes that everyone would stop listening before he got to the important stuff. He didn't really want to tell the story of how he got kicked out of his village, losing the only home and family he'd had for most of his life. "Why can't you just skip to the good stuff?" Tyson asked him in a whine. "No one cares what the weather was like!"

"Tyson, if you don't want to listen than you can leave," Ray told him, slight hopefulness in his voice. But Tyson just crossed his arms and shook his head.

"I'm staying until you tell us what happened! So you better skip to the important stuff or else!" he yelled at him, clenching his fist and pointing it at Ray.

"Or else what, Tyson?" Ray asked calmly, keeping his ground.

"Or else I'll-Ow!" he was cut off by a hand grabbing his shoulder and squeezing it hard. He looked over to see Bryan glaring at him. The grip on his arm loosened, and he slid away from Bryan, closer to Max, rubbing his shoulder. "What was that for?" he mumbled, pouting slightly.

"Because we're not going to get anywhere with you yelling at people and starting fights," Tala told him seriously, having been the one who told Bryan to make him stop talking without hurting him too much. "Why don't I just tell the story? I can tell it quick and without at the unneeded detail-"

"No!" Ray and Kai both yelled, cutting him off. The four boys looked at them, and they looked away slightly embarrassed. Max frowned at them.

"What are you guys hiding from us?" he asked. "You know you can tell us anything, we're your friends." Ray shook his head.

"Some things are better left unknown Max," he told him.

"That's not true. Not for me anyways. I'd rather have my friends tell me everything than hide things from me. I mean how am I supposed to be able to trust you guys with my secrets and stuff if you won't trust me with yours? Wouldn't you guys hate it if I just stopped telling you things?" Max asked sounding a little hurt.

"It's not like that Maxie," Ray told him. "We do tell you everything. We do tell you all our secrets...Well at least I do." Max crossed his arms and shook his head, giving Ray and Kai both an angry look.

"Well you obviously don't because you're keeping a secret from me now. How am I supposed to trust that you really have been telling me your secrets if you won't tell me them one now that I know you're keeping?" he asked. "I've told you all my secrets, and this just makes me feel like I was an idiot for doing it."

There was a long, quiet, pause in the room as everyone sat looking down at the floor. No one knew what to say after Max's speech, especially Ray. He'd only heard Max talk that way a few times before, and only when he was talking about serious matters. After a few more moments there was a sigh let out, and Kai's voice began to speak. "Let's just have Tala tell it then," he mumbled, not wanting to tell the story either, and suddenly being even more grateful that he'd brought Tala along with him.

"Can I really tell it?" he asked excitedly. Kai nodded to him. "Yes! Thanks! I'll make this so much more bearable than any story you and Ray would tell," he said with a slight laugh.

Everyone turned and looked at Tala now, with the exception of Kai who'd moved away from the group and against the wall, waiting to hear what he would say about what happened during the time he and Tala had gone missing. Tala looked at everyone, and then cleared his thought. "So I guess I'll start from the beginning, from before we even got the call to come over here for that tournament," he said, making Kai let out a little groan to himself. "So it was close to night and Kai had gone outside to get the mail," Tala started, increasing his speech pace as he got more into the story, hoping it would throw Tyson and Max off and have them not hearing things properly. "Then after a few minutes me and the others started to get worried, because he was gone for so long and it couldn't possibly take that long to grab the mail, so I went outside to check on him. Well I found him kneeling in the snow, and when I asked him what was wrong he just grabbed some letter from the ground and went into the house. So I got the others and we went into his room to ask what was wrong but he wouldn't tell us and told us to leave or he would leave us instead. So we left him alone.

"Later I found out that he'd gotten a letter from Ray saying he was quitting the team again, and he'd been...really upset over it...That's why he didn't want to talk to us. So I decided that Kai needed to go talk to Ray about the letter, but Kai didn't really want to. That's why when we got the call from you guys I jumped right in there and said I'd go with Kai and replace Ray. So after that call we went to the airport in Japan, and Kai had a moment and decided that he was going to go to China instead to talk to Ray, and I went with him to make sure he actually did it instead of just run away like I thought he would.

"So when we got to China we had a little adventure looking for Ray, and when we finally found him we all got into a little fight. Then some things happened and Ray ended up getting kicked out of his village, which means he needs a place to stay now just so you know, and then we went looking for a way back to the town while we were all still mad at each other. Then some other things happened and Ray and I started getting along but he and Kai were still mad, and then we went back to Russia because the tournament here was over anyways. Then some more things happened, some of them involving Bryan being pissed off at all of us. But we all worked things out and Kai and Ray are really close now and Bryan and I are dating," Tala finished off the ending of the story quickly, adding in the part about him and Bryan to hopefully pull some attention away from Ray and Kai, making Bryan give him a questioning look which he just smiled at.

Tyson was the first one to talk, speaking right after Tala. "Well Tala, that story was deafeningly better than how Ray's was looking to be but you did leave out a lot of details and-" Tyson spoke quickly, cutting himself off suddenly, his eyes going a little wide as he looked from Tala to Bryan as if just realizing something. "You and Bryan are dating?" he asked in a surprised tone, looking the two of them over again.

"Yep!" Tala said enthusiastically, all eyes starting at the two of them now as Tala leaned against Bryan with a grin. He'd accomplished his task. He'd told Tyson and Max the whole story, although he left out a few details, and he drew the attention away from Kai and Ray almost right away. Tyson looked at Kai and Ray.

"Did you know they were together?" he asked.

"Of course, we kind of helped them get together," Ray told him as Kai nodded. Tyson just stared at the group, mouth opened slightly.

"Well I think it's cute. Don't you Tyson?" Max asked with a smile at Tyson who looked at him, closing his mouth and turning a light shade of pink making Max let out something that was almost like a giggle.

Ray and Tala studied the two boys for a few seconds, Kai and Bryan not wanting to show their interest in what was going on, before Ray spoke. "Are you sure you've told me all your secrets, like you said you did Maxie?" Ray asked cautiously. Now it was Max's turn to blush.

"Well I haven't told you my new one...but I was going to tell you once you told us what happened with you and Kai," he told him with a nervous little laugh.

"Well you know our story now, so fess up," Kai said sternly out of nowhere, trying not to sound as eager as he was feeling about finding out this secret he knew Max and Tyson shared.

"Not so fast!" Tyson yelled suddenly before Max could say anything more, the pink leaving his face. "We didn't get the whole story! Tala left some parts out, and I have a feeling it's because he's covering something up for you guys! So why should Max tell you anything if you're still keeping things from him?"

"Tyson, we're not keeping anything from him or you. Tala told the whole story," Ray tried to assure him.

"Well if you're not keeping anything from us than answer these: Why were you, Kai, and Tala fighting? Why did you get kicked out of your village? Why was Bryan so mad at you guys, and what does Tala mean by you and Kai are really close?" Tyson asked angrily, the questions just flying out of his mouth. Ray, Kai, and Tala all looked at him a little shocked. They hadn't thought that Tyson really paid attention to the things left out of the story, or that he'd even remember them, if he did pay attention, after being caught off guard by the Tala and Bryan thing.

"We were fighting because Ray was being an idiot," Kai told Tyson after there was a moment of silence where no one wanted to answer his questions. "He was mad at Tala and I because he thought we'd just gone to the village to rub it in his face that Tala got to take his place on the team."

Tyson nodded, rubbing his chin as if thinking about something, and then looked around at the group as if expecting something to happen before resting his gaze on Ray. Ray let out a sigh shaking his head, knowing what Tyson wanted. "I was kicked out of my village because they found something out about me that they didn't approve of," he told him, and he raised his eyebrow as if to ask what that something was. Ray turned a little pick and looked away from Tyson, towards the floor. "They found out I...I'm...that I'm like Tala and Bryan, alright?" he said a little annoyed, turning a dark shade of red.

"How'd they find out that?" Max piped up.

"I was talking about it to Tala and some kid I was teaching to blade overheard and ran off and told everyone," he mumbled embarrassedly. There was another pause.

"Ok...now who's going to answer my other questions?" Tyson asked, ignoring Ray and breaking the silence. It was Tala's turn to speak up again.

"Bryan was mad at us because he thought I was dating Kai, and then I brought home Ray and he thought I was dating him too and...Bryan just gets jealous really easily and then starts making up a whole bunch of things that are really outrages and not true," he told Tyson with a shrug, and then added quickly, "And by really close I mean they're dating," earning a glare from Kai, another blush from Ray, and a gnaw drop from both Tyson and Max.

"What?" Tyson and Max asked together.

* * *

**Wow, ok, that only took...FOREVER to write...Sorry again guys! I know I was saying that I'd update more often and everything, but School work and Cosplaying has really gotten the best of me this year real fast. Not to mention I got lazy with my writing and then had a whole little period with no ideas or inspiration to write anymore...And then when I did start finally writing this chapter I had to stop halfway through because I had to pack for my vacation to FLORIDA! Omg! That was so much fun xD I went to the new Harry Potter theme park!**

**Anyways...while in Florida I got my inspiration to write again, so hopefully I'm back now and get this story finished for you guys (Although I don't know if you actually want it to end xD)**

**BUT! In the meantime, while you're waiting for updates here, you can fallow me and make sure I'm really not dead to the internet by going to my DA (Temari10001, there's a link at the top of my profile) and looking at my groups Cosplay pictures and things. Maybe start up a conversation with me on my page or ask me questions? I check my DA everyday :)**

**Another thing you can do is watch us on Youtube (AssassinNinjaSquad, there's link to this on my profile page also) We usually post videos often and they range from just random footage of us, to Cosplay things, to AMV's.**

**SO if you go to those and watch me and my friends you can look forward to a Beyblade Photostory on the Youtube account, and some Christmas Cosplay pictures coming soon to my DA account.**

**Thanks for waiting so nicely for me to post again, sorry for the long wait, I'll hopefully be able to update fast again now that I really want to write, and if you read this whole Author's Note then I love you, here's a cookie :)**


	18. Kai's Real Personality

Max and Tyson both stared from Tala to Kai and Ray in confusion both wanting to say something, but it was Max who got his voice back first and spoke. "Why didn't you tell me Ray?" He asked in a tone that was a mix of anger and hurt.

"Well I couldn't really, could I? I mean it just happened recently and I've been busy in Russia..." Ray reminded him, a little confused of his reaction.

"You could have told me, like, ten minutes ago when I told you not to keep secrets from me," he mumbled, crossing his arms and pouting.

"I'm sorry Maxie I-"

"Hey! I don't think the question here is 'why didn't you tell Max?' I think the question is 'what the hell?'" Tyson cut in front of Ray. "I mean, how the hell did Mr. Sourpuss and you even get together? I don't see how someone so moody, mean, and negative could end up with someone like you who's the complete opposite!"

"Hey, is Kai really like that around you guys?" Tala cut in, making everyone look at him.

"Uh, yeah, Mr. Sourpuss is anyways like that around us. He's like that around you too, isn't he? It seemed like he is at some of those tournaments," Tyson told him.

"Nah, that's just his game face. Kai's never actually like that to us...Maybe Ian and Bryan sometimes, but never me or Spencer," he said with a little laugh.

There were a few moments of silence as Max and Tyson stared at Tala as if they couldn't believe what they were hearing. It was true that Kai did act sour towards them, although it was just a type of defence he used to keep people away from him, and after knowing the moody Kai for so long they couldn't picture him being nice to anyone, although Ray had told Max a few times how nice Kai was to him when it was just the two of them early in the mornings. There was a the sound of someone clearing their throat a little ways away from the group, and they all looked over to see Kai joining them again and sitting by Ray, finally sick of them talking as if he wasn't there. "Tala, I don't think the way I act around other people is any of their business," he said, his arms cross as he looked angrily at him. Tala gave him the same look back.

"Stop looking at me like that Kai," he told him, and then added. "And I think it is their business. You've been with them for so long, and probably know pretty much everything about all of them, yet they don't have a clue what the real you is like, except maybe Ray." Tala's words didn't make Kai stop glaring. In fact they'd just made his glare icier. Tala let out a frustrated sigh. "Kai, I told you to stop looking at me like that! I don't like it! And I'm only stating the truth!" he said, pleading a little at the end.

"Give it up Tala, Kai doesn't stop glaring for anyone," Tyson told him, still unconvinced that Kai was anything but what he was acting like now.

"He stops glaring for me," Tala assured him.

"No I don't," Kai said in something just above a mumble, and in a warning tone.

Kai didn't really care if Max knew what the real him was like. It was Tyson that was the issue. Max was innocent and good enough not to judge people on how they acted when they were themselves, but Tyson was known for his rude comments and remarks and Kai didn't really feel comfortable being himself around him. He still got called names and teased by Tyson with the way he acted around him now, but at least it wasn't his real personality that was being stabbed at.

Tala got up from where he was sitting beside Bryan and walked over to Kai, sitting in front of him. "Stop looking at me like that," Tala said, crossing his arms and pouting. There was still no change in Kai's expression, except for the eyebrow that was now slightly raised as if asking what he was going to do about it, or asking if that pouting was supposed to make him stop. Tala continued to pout, but uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, placing his hands on Kai's knees and moving in closer to his face. "Please stop?" he asked, frowning slightly.

Everyone had moved now to a place where they could see what was going on better. Kai was starting to break, but tried not to show it. He was stubborn to allow Tyson to see the real him. "Kai, if you don't stop glaring at me I'm going to trash your mansion when Bryan and I get there," Tala told him.

"No you won't," he replied.

"Yes I will," he told him warningly.

"No you won't," Kai said in an assuring tone.

"Do you want me to tickle you?" Tala threatened.

"No," he said.

"Then stop glaring at me," he said through clenched teeth.

"No," he said again.

Tala let out a noise of frustration. "Why are you being so difficult?" he asked, his hands lunging for the spots on Kai he knew were ticklish. Kai didn't have time to answer him as he suddenly had to try to fend him off, which was extremely difficult as he hadn't reacted in time, thinking Tala had been bluffing, and was now on the floor with Tala's hands under his shirt and his fingers rubbing his sides. In less than a second Kai's expression had gone from anger to laughter and he was now squirming and kicking trying to get Tala off of him with no luck, all his energy being drained as he wasted it trying to get rid of Tala.

When Kai was finally out of breath, and had stopped fighting back, Tala stopped tickling him and just sat there on top of his lower body. "I told you to stop it," he said, crossing his arms and looking down at Kai with fake anger.

"You're a jerk," was all Kai could manage to say, being out of breath and tired, but still a smile crossed his face.

"I'm not a jerk, you're just too stubborn," Tala told him, sticking his tongue out at him and smiling back before sliding off of him and back over to Bryan.

Kai stayed lying on the floor for a few more seconds to catch his breath, before pulling down on his shirt and pushing himself back up into a sitting position. He ran his hand over his hair once to smooth it down before looking around at the other four people he and Tala had slightly ignored. When he saw the looks on their faces he could tell he and Tala were now faced with Tyson and Max being both a mixture of surprise and confusion, and Ray and Bryan a mix of hurt and annoyance. "What the fuck was that?" Bryan asked, giving both Kai and Tala and deadly glare.

"What do you mean what was that?" Tala asked him, raising an eyebrow. "It was obviously two friends goofing around. Haven't you even seen me and Kai goof around before?"

"Yes. I have," he told him through clenched teeth.

"Wow, Bryan. Why are you so mad? Ray's handling this fine, why can't you?" he asked, not seeing anything he'd done from before Bryan was mad to now as anything that he should be getting mad over, or noticing the look in Ray's eyes that said he'd gladly help Bryan if he wanted to knock Tala out.

"I don't know Tala, why do you think I'm mad?" he asked, answering his question with a question. Tala opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Tyson.

"How did you do that?" he asked a little loudly, trying to stop Tala and Bryan before a fight broke out and his grandpa came running. Tala directed a look of confusion at him. "How did you manage to get Kai to laugh, and be able to do that to him, without getting punched or something?" Tyson asked again. Tala shrugged.

"Because we've been best friends for years, Tyson, and he has the privilege of being able to do stuff like that if he wants," Kai told him a little sourly, going back into his bad mood.

"What about Ray?" Max asked him, making everyone look at him now. "Well...I mean...you and Ray are together...right? So does that mean he can do stuff like that too if he wants?" Kai sat quietly, turning a slight pink at Max's words, and looked away from him as to not dignify him with an answer.

"That's a yes!" Tala announced happily, making Kai turn a darker pink and everyone else nod as if to say they could tell that.

"Why doesn't Kai ever act like this around us?" Tyson asked Tala, crossing his arms and looking a little angry.

"I already told you why. Because it's none of your business how I normally act," Kai mumbled back to Tyson venomously, but he ignored it.

"Because he thinks you guys will laugh or make fun of him or something? I don't know," Tala told him with a shrug, leaning again Bryan again.

"Well I guess...He is acting very un-Kai like. He's defiantly not acting like the angry macho man he always makes himself look like. It's a little strange," Tyson said, examining Kai.

"Shut up Tyson," Kai mumbled again, giving him an icy glare.

"See, usually that look would freak the heck out of me. But now it's kind of lost its effect after all this talk about the real you," he told him with a slightly mischievous look. Kai just glared up at him for a few seconds, before standing up, turning, and walking towards the door.

"Hey, Kai, where are you going?" Tala asked, getting up as if to follow.

"I just need some air," he told him, turning back and looking at him. "And don't bother following me, I'll have to come back eventually," he said slamming the dojo door shut as he left, his works making Tala sit back down.


	19. Kiss

The sun outside was setting now making the sky an orangey-red colour. It was a little breezy out, but other than that it was warm, warm for someone like Kai anyways. Kai took in a deep breath of fresh air once the dojo door was shut, and then just stood there for a few seconds waiting to see if anyone would come out after him. When no one did he let out a sigh, having thought at least Tala would go against his words and come, but since no one had he headed out of the dojo's stone walls. He walked for a while, not actually knowing where his feet were taking him. His mind was on other matters. Like the way Tyson was going to act towards him now, the look in Ray's face he'd noticed when he glanced at him before he left, the fact that Bryan was probably pissed off at him again, and the question of why Tala was being so pushy for him to be open with Tyson and Max. Kai had liked being feared and even looked up to by his Bladebreaker teammates. But now that the truth was out about his real personality, about how he never wanted to act like around his teammates, he doubted he would get the same fearful respect he usually did from them.

Kai's feet stopped moving when he reached the edge of a hill. He blinked a few times, snapping out of his thoughts, and looked around. He was at the hill by the river's edge, beside the bridge. He hesitated for a few seconds, thinking maybe he should go back to the dojo and talk to everyone, but that thought left his mind quickly. The 'normal' Kai wouldn't do that. The 'normal' moody, intimidating Kai would leave his teammates for a good couple of hours before gracing them with his presence again after they'd pissed him off. So that's what he intended to do. He made his way down the hill and under the bridge, and sat himself against it. Then he closed his eyes and went back to his thoughts.

By the time Kai finally stood up and made his way towards the dojo again the sun was gone, the stars were out, and the moon was high in the sky. The walk back to the dojo was quicker than the one getting to the bridge, because this time he was sure of where he was going and how to get there. When he got to the dojo's front door he hesitated for a second, thinking about announcing himself. But the 'normal' Kai wouldn't have done that. So instead he just stepped out of his shoes, opened the door, and went in.

Kai was greeted with a strange sight upon entering the dojo. He had to blink and rub his eyes a few times before he decided he was seeing things correctly. For one thing, Tala and Bryan were gone. But that wasn't really a huge shocker seeing as they were staying at his mansion. The strange thing was the fact that while Ray was on one end of the room facing the dojo's door, clearly pretending to sleep, Tyson and Max were on the complete opposite end having a conversations. But this wasn't just a normal conversation, they were both under a blanket and Tyson was over top of Max mumbling something before moving his face down to Max's neck and Max began to giggle. Kai only watched that far into what was going on, before slamming the dojo door shut.

Tyson, Max, and Ray all jumped and looked up at Kai as he walked from the door over to a pile that consisted of a blanket and a pillow. "You know," he started, directing a glance over to Tyson and Max. "It's not very nice to make-out while you have company. Even if they are pretending to sleep for you," he told them as he picked up the pile and walked over to about a foot or two away from Ray and put it down. He glance over again to see both Tyson and Max blushing, and Tyson get off of Max and move about a foot away to where his pillow was.

"Ray didn't say anything to us about it bothering him though," Tyson pointed out, slight annoyance on his face along with his blush.

"That's because sometimes Ray's a little too nice to his friends for his own good," Kai told him before turning his back to his teammates and stripping down into his boxers, like the rest of them were in. When he was done he put his clothing in a neat pile by his makeshift bed, and turned around to look back at his teammates. "All three of you are perverts," he said in almost a mumble when he saw that they were still staring at him, making them turn away from him and lay down. When they weren't looking anymore he smiled slightly lay down too and closing his eyes.

It felt like Kai had only been sleeping for an hour or two when he woke up, or rather, was woken up by hot breath on his skin and someone whispering his name. He groaned slightly and willed his eyes to open, turning over onto his side to see who it was. Ray knelt beside him looking tired, sad, and like he needed to talk. "What's wrong?" Kai asked, rubbing his eyes, and then pushed himself up to sit beside him.

"I can't sleep," he told him with a slight sigh, still whispering. "I need to talk to you about you and Tala." Kai shook his head, and let out a deep sigh.

"Ray, Tala and I are just friends. That's all we ever were, and that's all we're ever going to be," he told him, trying to make his tone sound reassuring even though he was a little annoyed they had to keep going over this.

"Yeah, but it's the way you guys act around each other. You've never acted that way around me," he told him with a slight frown.

"Yes but I have been nicer to you, and talked to you more, and been more lenient towards you than Tyson and Max. And we've just started dating, Ray. These things don't happen overnight, and you haven't really tried being close to me like Tala does yet," Kai reminded him. Ray didn't say anything. He just moved his legs out from under him and looked down at the floor. "And," Kai went on, moving closer to him. "There are things you and I can do that I'd never do with Tala."

"Like what?" Ray looked back up at him, a light tingle of pink crossing his face when he saw he'd gotten closer.

"Like this," Kai mumbled, closing the gap between their faces.

At first Kai kissed Ray lightly and softly, waiting for him to accept and kiss back. Once he did Kai deepened the kiss a little, and Ray moved his hands around Kai's neck, tangling one in his hair. Kai moved his hands down Ray's side to his hips, making him shiver from the contact with his bare skin. He pulled away from the kiss slightly, and ran his tongue along Ray's bottom lip. Ray's mouth opened and Kai slid his tongue into it slowly, closing the gap again. He let his tongue wander playfully around in the new hot, damp, place it had found, which seem to taste of lemon aid. He slid his tongue over Ray's, and it recoiled hesitantly. He brushed his tongue lightly against the now uncovered bottom of Ray's mouth, and Ray responded by using his tongue to try and push it back up. Kai pushed himself lightly against Ray now until his back touched the floor. He moved his tongue from the bottom of Ray's mouth obediently and instead began to slide it along the side of his tongue. Ray replied by moving his tongue away from Kai's, and then began to rub along the bottom of his. At this a tongue wrestling match broke out.

The two broke away from the kiss breathing heavily. Kai pushed himself up onto his elbows so that he could see Ray's face better, and then moved in giving him another soft kiss. He then moved the kiss slowly to the corner of his mouth, down to his chin, and along his jaw line. He trailed kisses down his neck, stopping when he got to the bottom and brought his mouth up to Ray's ear. "Do you think you can sleep now?" he whispered, still panting slightly. The hot breath on his ear made Ray shiver, and Kai felt him nod. "Good," Kai said, smiling a little and rolled off him onto his side. He wrapped his arms around Ray, and Ray rolled onto his side as well, snuggling up close to Kai.

* * *

**Kai and Ray making-out! Because I never seem to update this anymore and you guys deserve it! :D**

**So yeah, diplomas suck aaaaand that's about it. Oh! I was the only person in my school that took the Social 30-1 Essay diploma and knew what to write for the Major essay though apparently (Yay for not studying anything before hand!). But I seemed to be the only one that got screwed over by the minor...Oh well! The Major's worth more anyways! :)**

**Love you guys! hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	20. Here in Your Arms

Kai and the other three boys woke with a start when they heard the door to the dojo slam open. They sat up quickly and scrambled away from the person they were sleeping beside, having thought it was Tyson's grandfather at first and not wanting him to ask questions. But it was hard to see who was actually standing in the door staring at them all, the light from the sun outside practically blinding them, until what seemed like two people walked into the room and closed the door. The four boys had to blink a few times before their eyes adjusted and they saw that it was only Tala and Bryan standing there, Tala grinning, and Bryan looking a little smug. "Well, well, well. What did we just walk in on?" Tala asked, stepping more into the room and looking around in amusement. "I hope you shirtless boys at least have some underwear on. I can't imagine what the old man would have said if he was the one seeing this right now."

"Probably something along the lines of 'Yo little men, that's how you're supposed to sleep with your special lady's, not your home boys'," Tyson mumbled sleepily, having lain back down and closed his eyes once he'd seen that it was only Tala and Bryan.

"It's scary how well you can imitate your grandpa sometimes, Tyson," Max said with some amusement. "It makes me wonder if you'll be like him when you're older." Tyson's eyes shot open and he pushed himself up onto his elbows, looking slightly annoyed.

"I'll never be like that old, embarrassing, geezer," he attempted to shout, but it came out groggy and he gave up and went back to trying to fall back asleep.

The boys let Tyson sleep as the remaining three got up and got dressed. They'd made an agreement to not wake Tyson before noon, unless they were training or needed to go to a tournament, and since they were doing neither today they thought they might as well let him sleep instead of having to deal with a grumpy Tyson.

When he was done dressing and putting his makeshift bed away, Kai went outside to where Tala and Bryan had gone to sit by the pond in the yard. When he turned the corner though, he was greeted by the sight of his best friend locking lips with Bryan, and became frozen in his stride. He didn't know why, but a sudden flash of emotions came over him. It felt a little bit like anger, jealousy, disappointment, even sadness. But almost as soon as the feelings came they were gone again, and he became confused. Tala and Bryan were supposed to be doing these kinds of things. They were supposed to kiss, hug, cuddle, and do all those mushy relationship things. They were a couple. Like him and Ray. So he couldn't understand why he suddenly felt almost like he was being betrayed when he looked at the two of them together like they were. He was sure Tala didn't feel like this when he saw him and Ray together. After all, Tala had pushed him to go after Ray and get his feelings out to him, and had tried desperately to get Ray to accept them as true and be with him.

Kai took a few deep breaths, closing his eyes, before taking another step towards where his best friend was sitting practically in the lap of one of his teammates. Kai forced himself to go the rest of the way over to the two boys, placing himself right behind them, arms crossed as he cleared this throat loudly. The two boys pulled away from each other quickly, their eyes popping open. Bryan turned away from Tala and Kai, looking down at his hands which were now in his lap, while Tala looked up at Kai as he rubbed his mouth across the sleeve of his shirt. "Holy shit Kai, you scared me a little. I thought you were the old man," Tala said with a little chuckle. Bryan looked up at Kai too now, probably having thought the same thing.

"No, it's just me," Kai said a little coldly, squeezing himself in between his best friend and Bryan to sit down. "But it's probably a good idea _not_ to make out on the main path between the dojo and the house. Anyone could see you." Tala laughed now, apparently not noticed the coldness in Kai's tone.

"We're not really worried too much about people catching us," he told him. "Your driver caught us this morning already. He must have thought we'd gotten lost in the mansion, since we told him to pick us up early in the morning, and came looking for us. He walked in on use like we walked in on you and your friends this morning, only we were having an intense make out session. I told him he should have knocked first when we finally noticed him standing there. He just turned a little pink and told us the car was waiting outside and how to get out of the house." Tala laughed again, and grinned almost triumphantly at Kai. Kai didn't say anything to Tala's little story, he just stood up and looked down at him.

"Everyone's dressed now if you want to come back into the dojo," he told him, stuffing his hands into his pockets and clenching them into fists before turning and walking away. Tala watched after him for a few seconds, a little confused, before tapping Bryan on the shoulder, who responded by standing up and then helping Tala to his feet.

Kai entered the dojo feeling a little sour and walked over and sat beside Ray, Tala and Bryan coming in a few seconds later and sitting a little ways away from Kai. Ray looked over at Kai when he sat down, and stared at him for a few seconds before asking if he was ok, Kai's mood very evident on his face. Kai was about to respond by saying that he just wasn't feeling well, but when he looked at Ray his mood changed drastically. The concern for him on Ray's face made him smile slightly. He felt happy, wanted, loved, and the feelings he'd got from seeing Tala and Bryan together vanished completely. He had Ray, the person he'd wanted most in the world, and that's all that mattered. "I'm fine," Kai told him. "Tala just said something outside that set me off a little. But he does that a lot. I'm fine now." Ray smiled a little and took Kai's hand and squeezed it.

"It seems like everyone's been saying things that set you off lately," he said. "Maybe you should go back to ignoring them all and acting all macho," he teased. Kai just chuckled and shook his head.

The group of boys sat and talked, laughed, and fooled around. They talked a little bit more about Tala and Kai's trip to China, like about the crappy Motel Kai had made them stay in, and they talked about the tournament Tyson and Max had to forfeit because of Tala and Kai's absence. And then, when it finally hit noon, they all tried their luck at trying to wake Tyson up, since all the noise they'd been making hadn't even worked. It wasn't until Tyson's grandpa came in with some food and drink and yelled that if Tyson didn't get up he'd make him do some intense training, did Tyson get up, get dressed, and eat half the food that was brought for lunch.

Once Tyson's eating had calmed, and everyone was enjoying their food and talking again, Tala whispered something to Bryan, and then got up and went over to Kia. He tapped Kai on the shoulder and asked him if he could talk to him. Kai nodded and told Ray he'd be right back, and followed Tala out of the dojo and towards the small pound. "Kai, I want to know what's wrong," Tala said abruptly, once they'd sat down.

"Nothing's wrong," Kai told him, and finished off the half eaten rice ball he'd brought out with him.

"I know you Kai. There's something wrong. Why else wouldn't you have some kind of mocking remark about my story about this morning? And I noticed you talking to me coldly. You never talk to me coldly unless I did something stupid or you're in a bad mood," Tala told Kai, sounding annoyed that Kai was lying to him yet concerned about him at the same time. "What's wrong?" Kai shook his head.

"I don't know what's wrong," he mumbled, looking down at his hands. "I really don't. I just...got mad for a stupid reason and I don't know why." Tala frowned and put a hand on Kai's shoulder.

"You know you can tell me anything, Kai. You've been able to since we were young. I don't know why you think you can't tell me why you're upset now," he told him with a little sigh. Kai took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"I got upset as soon as I saw you and Bryan kissing. I don't know why. You don't get upset, jealous, or angry when you see me and Ray together. So why should I be upset when I see you with Bryan?" Kai asked turning his eye's away from his friend.

"But I do get upset Kai," Tala told him, and Kai's eyes shot back up. "I get a little upset, jealous, and angry every time I see you sitting close to Ray and laughing and acting like you're supposed to act around him. At first I thought it was because now that you're dating someone I was starting to realize I liked you and not Bryan, but I knew that couldn't be true because I really like Bryan and, no offence, but I know I wouldn't be able to kiss you or anything like that. Even the thought of it feels awkward and wrong."

"Thanks for shooting me down so nicely before I even ask you anything," Kai said joking, laughing a little. "It saves me the embarrassment." Tala smiled.

"But I'm not shooting you down, Kai, because you never would have asked me to date you," he assured him. "Think about it. Can you really see us doing couple things?" Kai thought for a moment about him and Tala being together seriously, and even kissing. But a feeling of wrongness and awkwardness shot through him and his mind changed to Ray. He shook his head. "See? You don't feel upset because you like me and I'm with someone else. You feel upset for the same reason I do when I see you and Ray together. Because you feel like your best friend is being taken away from you, and you don't want to lose him."

Kai sat quiet and motionless for a few seconds, thinking everything Tala had said over. It was true. When he thought about it he did feel like Tala was being taken away from him. He was jealous that Tala had found someone else he could have fun with, angry at Bryan for taking him, and sad that he might not have much more time with him for having fun and goofing around. "I don't want to lose my best friend," Kai mumbled when realization hit him. Tala smiled weakly.

"You're not going to lose your best friend. I'll always find time for you. Screw Bryan, I've been your best friend since we were little and if he can't accept that I'm going to spend time with you and that I'm not going to stop treating you like I did before I started dating him then I'm not going to be with him," Tala told Kai, giving him a little shove and then wrapping his arms around him and pulling him into a hug. "I already told Bryan this by the way, and he said he'd let me do what I want rather than lose me. So you have nothing to worry about." Kai couldn't help but grin and hug Tala back.

"I had a little talk about this with Ray too I guess, because he didn't like the way you and I acted towards each other. But I think he's ok with it now. So you don't have to worry about losing your best friend either," Kai told Tala. Tala smiled.

"Thanks Kai," he said.

* * *

The limo drove out of the town and entered the highway. In the back seat of the limo sat Bryan, Kai and Ray. Bryan sat looking tiredly out the window while Ray say looking out the other window with some excitement, Kai's arm around him while he kind of talked to Tyson and Max. Tyson and Max were sitting on another seat together, across from Kai, talking about how excited they were to be going to the place Kai was taking them and asking every few minutes if they were there yet. Lastly was Tala on a seat all to himself, sleeping. He'd told Kai that he and Bryan had had a long night and were both tired. Kai didn't really press much into the matter. Tala and Bryan had been sharing a room in his mansion, which they had all to themselves, for a week. They could have been doing any number of things that would make them tired and he wasn't really sure he wanted to ask what it was.

After a few hours the limo pulled to a stop. Tala was already awake and sitting beside Kai, having switched seats with Bryan halfway through the trip so that he could sleep, and was bouncing up and down in his seat as he looked out the window. He hardly even waited for the chauffeur to come open the door, and as soon as he saw it opening he grabbed Kai's hand and dragged him out of the limo behind him, leaving Ray, Tyson, and Max to wake Bryan up. Tala dragged Kai all the way to the end of the road, where the pavement turned into a sandy hill that lead down to a small private beach Kai's grandfather had bought years ago with no intention of using it. He'd only bought it so that no one else would have the chance to.

Tala took in a deep breath of the salty ocean air and looked around. "I've only been to a beach once, but we didn't go for fun. We went for training and didn't even get to hang around after we were done," he told Kai.

"Well you can have all the fun you want today," Kai told him, gripping his hand and then turning to pull him back towards the limo to get their bags. The chauffeur now had the trunk open and Tyson, Ray, Max, and Bryan were grabbing their things from it. Tala and Kai let go of each other's hands once they were close to the limo, Bryan and Ray still being a little iffy about them doing things like that, and Tala went running over to Bryan who was carrying both their bags and volleyball net. Kai went quickly over to the trunk of the limo where Ray was waiting for him, grabbing his bag, and a beach umbrella. Kai then gave the chauffeur a time for him to be back to pick them up, and followed the six boys down to the beach.

They set up the beach with volleyball net, three umbrellas and six towels. They played around in the sand a bit, playing volleyball, making sand castles, and Beyblading. Then, when the sun got higher and it got hotter out, they took their fun into the water playing a game Max taught them called Marco Polo, and just splashing around. By the end of the afternoon they were worn out. They ate what was left over from their lunch, having made sure Tyson didn't eat too much at lunch time, and then sat under their beach umbrellas with their towels to finish drying off. The sun was setting now over the water making the sky a nice red-orange colour. Max and Tyson sat a little ways away from the other four boys, whispering about something and laughing. Kai sat with one arm around Ray, Ray leaning against him, and Tala sat leaning against Bryan with Bryan's arm around him. Tala and Kai had made sure that they'd set up their areas close to each other so that now, when they sat beside each other with their boyfriends close, they could still reach out and touch hands, assuring each other that they weren't going anywhere.

**The End**

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It's over! D:  
I didn't really know how I wanted to end this, but I think the ending suits the stroy well. I'm hoping it shows that this story wasn't only about Kai's feelings for Ray and how much he wanted to be with him, but also his relationship with Tala. If you get that from the ending (Or at least think it's cute) then I think I did a good job xD Aren't sunsets on the beach a cheesy/sweet way to end a story? I think so Ahahahah.

So I'm sorry again that it's taken me this long to update and finish it. I got busy with my assignment for The Kite Runner, other school stuff, friends, cosplaying, and my new job. Also, I've been in a slump and feeling like I have no ideas for stories and things, but apparently I was wrong on that. I just needed to open the document and start writing and the ideas come flowing out : P (If I ever start feeling like that again I'll try to remember this xD)

Thanks for sticking with me and reading to the end! I love you all! (I'd tell you to go check out my youtube and DA but if you wanted to do that you would have already : P) Now I'm off to finish my two Naruto Fics that I've neglected for longer than this one so that I could finish this one! xD


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